


Silver Tongue, Golden Tongue

by biolumo



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:17:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 110,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biolumo/pseuds/biolumo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(A sort of alternate TDW) Jane and Thor are finally reunited, but their reunion is accidentally interrupted by Jane's friend Ada, a Norse linguist. When a dark threat arises, Jane and Thor must go to Asgard, but Ada is transported as well under somewhat mysterious circumstances and is locked up upon her arrival. What else would a trapped scholar do but study her fellow prisoner, a former prince of Asgard? But Loki is interested in her as well, for his own reasons...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Author’s note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

"I'm still not entirely sure how you got me to agree to this, Ada", Jane said disdainfully, adjusting her hairband. The two stars sticking up from it on springs bounced back and forth for emphasis.  
"Oh come now, Doctor Foster!", Ada said, emphasizing her friend's new title. "I hardly think coming with me to a Halloween fancy dress party will be that painful. It's only with the university faculty. Besides, you still owe me for finding someone to translate that article so you could cite it in your dissertation!"  
Jane closed her eyes and exhaled slightly, frowning. "Well, it wouldn't be, if I were wearing something other than... this", she gestured to her costume, stars bobbing angrily. She wore a floor-length midnight blue gown with thin straps, made of imitation velvet, with a variety of glittery star stickers haphazardly scattered across it. "Also, I'm pretty sure this is at least the second time you've called in that favor. Anyway, I thought our costumes were supposed to be based on our academic specialties. Shouldn't you be dressed like a rune or something?"  
"The thought crossed my mind... and it would be an amusing pun on my name. Aðalrun, "noble rune"", she smiled, pleased with herself. Although years of mispronunciation by friends, colleagues, and telemarketers had reduced her to introducing herself with the (still mispronounced) nickname "Ada", Aðalrun would announce her full name and its meaning fairly regularly given that...  
"Ha-ha, yes, I know, you're a linguist focusing on Old Norse with the word "rune" in your name, how craaaazy", Jane said sarcastically, but with a smile. "You may have mentioned it once or twice over the course of our academic careers."  
Ada grinned sheepishly. "What do you think of my costume though?"   
She held her arms out in a grand gesture. She wore a long black cape affixed to her shoulders with metal plates over a flowing green wool dress. Around her waist hung a brown belt with a large pouch, and a short black veil covered her hair, held in place by a green band with two miniature golden deer antlers sprouting from it. To finish the ensemble, she wore a bronze gorgette and several strings of beads around her neck and carried what looked to be a spinning needle that lost a fight with a bedazzler.  
"It's... er... more seasonally appropriate than my costume", Jane said, pulling on her coat and throwing a handbag over her shoulder. "What are you, anyway?"  
"I'm a volva!", Ada threw a preemptive dirty look at Jane, anticipating the poorly muffled snort her friend gave at the sound of the word. "A Norse seeress and practitioner of seithr, Norse magic... I guess you could just call me a seithkona. It's easier, I suppose", she conceded, opening the front door of her flat onto the busy London street.  
"Yeah, well, we wouldn't want the sexual studies and anatomy professors too excited, would we?", Jane laughed as she walked out the door. "Come on, let's get this over with."  
\-----  
The fancy dress party was in full swing by the time Jane and Ada arrived. It was being held in one of the classroom buildings on campus, as the university students were having a similar gathering in the student union, and the professors and staff were not too interested in living it up with their pupils. Jane, as a visiting researcher, had been invited by the astrophysics professors she worked closely with, but had only just agreed to attend the day of the party (due to Ada's incessant prodding). Ada, a doctoral candidate in linguistics, was technically not on the guest list, but had managed to sweet talk her way into an invitation after analyzing a particularly stubborn bit of data that one of her busy professors simply did not have time to deal with.  
Ada made her way to the punch bowl with Jane in tow. "I see an awful lot of white lab coats." she said over her shoulder accusingly. "Aren't you glad you went with the creative option?"  
Jane, clearly not used to maneuvering in a gown, looked down at her feet somewhat nervously. "Not particularly", she glanced up to shoot Ada a look, then quickly returned to monitoring her feet. "I feel like a loon...", she said, mostly to herself.  
"Cheer up!", Ada said, smiling brightly and handing Jane a cup of punch. "You look lovely. And you're going to have some great photos to send to that long-distance boyfriend of yours!"   
The remark caused Jane to momentarily look up with a sort of deer-in-the-headlights look, then turn her face away slightly. Ada regarded her with concern. "Is... everything alright with that?" she asked hesitantly.  
"Oh, yes, it's fine. Just fine", Jane waved her off unconvincingly, staring into the middle distance. Ada furrowed her brow, obviously not buying it. Jane sighed, and looked off to the side slightly. "It's just... we haven't seen each other in a year, and he's not really the best at keeping in touch..."  
She was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. She spun to face the source of the contact, one of the several individuals in attendance wearing lab coats, visually glad to be distracted from that topic of conversation. "Doctor Miller! Hello!"  
"Jane!", the middle aged man said, smiling. "I really didn't expect the pleasure of your company tonight. I must admit that when Doctor Yates said you would be in attendance, I was skeptical", he laughed. "And I do compliment you on your inspired costume; I fear we old English astrophysicists lack the bravery of you young Americans!"  
"Oh, you can blame this disaster of an outfit on the humanities, thankfully", she gestured to Ada, who had gathered a selection of grapes, cheeses, and crackers onto a plate for them to share. She smiled and nodded in the direction of the doctor. Doctor Miller looked at Jane questioningly. "She's a linguistics doctoral candidate. We did our undergrad together, we were in the same honors society", Jane clarified.  
"Hey, language is a science too!", Ada said indignantly, coming to stand next to Jane. She offered her cheese plate, and Jane accepted a grape.  
"Well, now that I’m speaking to you outside of the lab for once, I must ask- how is Erik doing? I trust he is recovering well from his injuries?", Doctor Miller enquired. Jane swallowed the grape hard.  
"Ah, yes, I actually just recently spoke to him on the phone from his hospital in New York. He sounds desperate to get back to work! I'm pretty sure he's smuggled in some of his equipment, so he doesn't get too bored", Jane said, a little too perky.  
Ada had been with Jane when the disaster happened in New York; she was in Norway for research anyway, and was visiting Jane at her unexpected new post in the lab at Tromso when the news broke. Shortly after, Jane's intern, Darcy, burst into the room and hauled Jane off in a hurry somewhere. Jane called her the next day to apologize, and told her that her mentor, Erik Selvig, had been injured in the attack, but had been rescued by the same team of heroes that saved the city- the Avengers. Ada had resisted making horrible excited noises to Jane over the appearance of not one but TWO Norse gods, out of concern. The resulting flood of academic funding for both Ada and Jane's subjects of study after the incident brought the two women to where they were now- University College London.  
"That Erik!", Doctor Miller said with a chuckle. "He never could sit still for long! Although, how could you with this influx of new data on Einstein-Rosen Bridges? He must be bouncing off the walls, especially having seen one first hand!"  
Jane smiled and stuffed her mouth full of cheese. Jane would usually avoid the subject of Doctor Selvig with Ada, due to what Ada could only assume was anxiety over his condition and the trauma he suffered. She knew that when Jane and Darcy had flown out to visit him in the hospital, he was apparently worse than they expected, although Ada never heard what exactly his injuries were.  
A jingling sound from inside Jane's purse broke the increasingly awkward silence. She fished her phone out from within its deep pockets as it continued to light up and vibrate. Her eyes widened. Ada caught a glimpse of the name displayed on the screen- Erik Selvig.  
"Hello?!", Jane thrust her purse onto Ada's free arm, answered the phone, and covered her other ear with her hand in one quick motion. "Erik! What... are you sure? Where?!" Jane shoved her way through the party-goers and out the door.  
Doctor Miller and Ada watched her go, then faced each other, both with the same confused expression. Ada shrugged, and felt the weight of Jane's purse on her arm.  
"Lovely meeting you, have a good night!", she handed what was left of the cheese to Doctor Miller, who continued to look slightly shocked, and followed Jane's path through the crowd.  
\--------  
As Ada stepped into the chilly October air from the stuffiness of the party, she saw Jane disappear around the corner of a neighboring building. "Jane! Your bag-", she called, jogging after her.  
Jane made a winding path around the university buildings, bits of her phone conversation drifting back to Ada, who was having trouble following Jane's apparently random but determined trajectory. From what Ada could hear, most of the conversation was Jane excitedly (anxiously?) asking about Erik's certainty of some event and Erik apparently reassuring her and giving directions. She began to feel guilty about following her friend... whatever was happening, it seemed important, and she didn't want to invade Jane's privacy... or work... or whatever was going on.  
A distant clap of thunder sounded, causing Ada to involuntarily look up. Clouds were scooting across the sky at great pace, despite the peaceful breeze on the ground. The moon and stars flashed through them, creating an unusual glow on the buildings and trees.  
Again, thunder rumbled, closer this time. Ada broke from her thoughts to see the bottom of Jane's star-studded dress receding around yet another corner. She huffed and resolved to just call Jane in the morning. It was obviously going to rain, and Ada didn't want to be wandering around in a long woolen dress when it started. She hiked Jane's purse up on her arm beneath her cape and turned to go back to her flat.  
Ada had barely taken two steps when it seemed the entire campus was bathed in light. She wheeled around to the source of the sudden illumination to see a particularly wide bolt of lightning pulsing down to earth, apparently striking the square on the other side of the building that Jane had just...  
"JANE!!", Ada screamed, as the lightning bolt evaporated and thunder roared overhead. She sprinted between the old stone buildings that blocked her view of the square to find smoke rising from within a grove of trees. There was no sign of Jane and no light was being cast by a fire, which slightly reassured her. Why would Jane's mentor direct her into a park in the middle of the night, anyway? Ada laughed, quietly and nervously, at the absurd thought. She entered the small wood to find the source of the smoke... just in case.  
Her eyes readjusting to the relative darkness after the blinding thunderbolt, Ada entered a small clearing to see two figures. She immediately recognized the glint of Jane's star boppers, and broke into a wide grin of relief. "God, Jane, you scared me to death!" she said, marching toward her friend. "I thought-"  
It was then that Ada's eyes became accustomed to the dim light of the grove, and she got a better look at the second figure and nearly dropped her spinning needle. Tall and almost impossibly broad-shouldered, his red cape stirred in the gentle wind and the moonlight shone on his armor. He held his hammer limply at his side, gazing at Jane with equal parts adoration and sorrow. Jane met his eyes with similar emotion.  
Ada was frozen in place, eyes and mouth wide open, unable to fully compute the reality of the situation, and unnoticed by either party. OH MY GOD oh my god Ada don't wet yourself it's just a NORSE GOD AND SAVIOR OF EARTH in a forest oh my god I wonder what language he speaks WHAT IF IT'S PROTO-NORSE  
Ada's face contorted into wild expressions as her mind raced, not realizing Jane had begun to gingerly approach the god.  
"Thor...?", Jane almost whispered, inching toward him. "I thought... after New York... you had forgotten..."  
Thor dropped Mjolnir with a thud, and closed the gap between them with a single stride. He placed his large fingers under Jane's chin and tilted her face up to look him in the eye. "Never, Jane", he said with gravity. "I could never forget you. All the armies of the Nine Realms could not prevent me from keeping my promise."  
"Although we did try", a third voice, eerily silky, chimed in.  
Ada saw another figure materialize from the darkness behind the god of thunder. Every element of him seemed to contrast with the shining figure of Thor, from the dark green of his tunic and the dull black leather of his armor to his raven hair. Even without his horned bronze helmet, Ada recognized him as Loki, god of mischief, and leader of the attack on New York.  
Afraid for the safety of her friend and unsure of Thor's awareness of the situation, Ada made a rash decision. Slipping Jane's purse off of her arm for better maneuverability, she lunged at Loki with her bejeweled spinning needle. In a move that seemed to surprise both he and Ada equally, she struck him directly under the ribs. Unfortunately, though, she had underestimated Loki's leather chestplate and overestimated her wooden needle; it simply snapped at the hilt, and Ada staggered back. Loki’s expression quickly turned from surprise to aggravation, and he flicked his wrist in Ada's direction.  
Ada felt the remains of the needle droop in her hand, and looked over to it, horrified. Where there was once a needle, there was now a small black snake beginning to curl around her hand. She screamed and shook it off.  
"Oh, you Midgardians never learn, do you", Loki purred menacingly. He advanced on Ada, who stepped backward onto her cape and was forced to sit, hard, on the wet grass. He flicked his wrist again, a small dagger appearing in his hand, as he tucked his left arm behind him. "You must be taught to respect your superiors! I suppose I-"  
Several things then happened then in quick succession. Thor snapped his fingers, Loki froze mid-threat, and Jane punched Loki square in the jaw. Shock and rage flashed in Loki’s eyes, though he made no move to retaliate. In fact, he made no move at all. Jane shook her hand to ease the pain of the impact and peered at him curiously. He produced a low growl in response.  
“A binding enchantment, entrusted to me by our father, Odin, King of Asgard”, Thor explained, placing a hand on Jane’s shoulder. “After my brother’s previous… excursion to Midgard, our father deemed it necessary to put some security measures in place. I am thankful that he did, as it seems the volur of Midgard still presume to meddle in our business.” He removed his hand and pointed down at Ada, still sitting in a disheveled state on the ground.   
“You! Volva! What reason have you for making an attempt on the life of a prince of Asgard?”  
Ada looked up at Thor with eyes as big as saucepans. I’m going to die here, she thought. My friend’s boyfriend is a Norse god, possibly the best academic source in the history of the world, and he’s going to kill me. Not the worst way to go I guess…  
Just as Ada was beginning to imagine what an interesting read her obituary would be, Jane grabbed Thor’s arm. “Thor, it’s just a costume! She isn’t really a volva, she’s my friend Ada! We were at a costume party, see?” She gestured to her bobbing stars and Ada uncertainly collected herself off the ground. “And I’m fairly certain anyone would react that way to seeing Loki…”, she mumbled.  
“Ah, I did wonder about the significance of your unique headdress”, Thor said, gently poking one of the stars to see it bounce back. He grinned. “It is quite amusing!”  
“Jane, can you please explain to me what the actual fuck is going on here”, Ada asked in a gravelly voice, placing her hand to her forehead. Encountering her antler headband, she pulled it off and removed her veil to reveal short red hair that was in quite a state from being unwillingly contained.  
She could see Jane’s cheeks flush even in the dimness of the forest. “Um, this… this is Thor!”, Jane gestured to him and smiled awkwardly.  
Thor’s arm shot out to grasp Ada’s, and she was sure she was going to be the recipient of a very strong and possibly painful handshake. Instead, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it ever so softly. Ada found herself involuntarily blushing.  
“My apologies for frightening you, Ada”, he said, releasing her hand. “But I must request that you make no further attempts on my brother’s life. Asgard sincerely asks your peoples’ forgiveness for Loki’s misdeeds while in your realm. As part of his punishment meted out by our father the King, he is to remain strictly monitored within the castle walls at all times. However, in planning my journey to fetch the lady Jane, I decided it would be more prudent for him to be under my direct supervision, rather than left to the devices of the palace guards, so…”  
Thor’s voice trailed off to Ada’s ears, although his lips kept moving. She stared hard at the back of her hand where Thor had kissed it. This was all way too much.  
As she lost consciousness, she could’ve sworn she heard Loki emit what sounded like a choked giggle.


	2. Chapter 2

Author’s note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

Ada regained consciousness to find Jane crouching next to her and looking concerned. As she blinked and looked around, Jane’s face softened to relief.  
“Ugh, what…” Ada groaned, sitting up with her hand to her head. She looked at Jane questioningly. Jane simply nodded to her right. Ada looked in the direction of her nod to find Thor and Loki quietly speaking to each other, only yards away. Her eyes widened as she remembered her recent exploits and introductions.  
“You did pretty well, overall”, Jane grinned. “Honestly, knowing you, I’m surprised you didn’t faint immediately after laying eyes on Thor!”  
Upon hearing Jane’s voice, Thor and Loki ended their conversation (which seemed to have been escalating into an argument, given Thor’s furrowed brow and Loki’s knowing smirk) and turned toward the girls. As Ada struggled to her feet, Thor stepped forward, causing her to warily take a step back. She was not afraid of the god, but was very concerned about what nonsense might come out of her mouth if she was caught off guard again. She had to make a better impression this time…  
Thor stopped in his tracks and held up his hands in a non-threatening way. “I promise I mean you no harm!” He shot Jane a worried glance and then looked back to Ada. “It was not my intention to frighten you before. Jane tells me that you are a scholar of the languages of Midgard!” he said, obviously trying to make small talk due to feeling slightly guilty.  
Ada nodded, determined to use this conversational redirection to her advantage. Perhaps she could get on good terms with him after all! “Yes, actually I’m particularly interested in Norse! That’s why I was so, er, excited to meet you… much of my source material is actually stories of your adventures and heroic deeds!” Ada could see Thor’s chest swell with pride in response to her strategic flattery. Yes, this is going so much better…  
“Oh do go easy on my dear brother’s ego, I feel he may explode if it is inflated further”, Loki sighed, inclining his head toward Ada slightly, having been freed of his magical binding while she was unconscious. “Unless that is your goal, then by all means, be my guest!” Gracefully positioning his hand, Loki gestured delicately to Thor. “Although, if your previous effort was anything to go by, I would not place great faith in your god-killing abilities…” He smiled deviously. Ada’s expression immediately soured, reliving what was possibly the worst social misstep in human history.  
“Loki…” Thor growled, turning to face his brother. He barked something to the mischievous god, which elicited a chuckle and an equally indecipherable response. Thor’s eyes blazed at what was apparently an insult.  
Ada felt her breath hitch in her throat. She tried to choke out a question, but nothing came.  
“Ah, guys…” Jane interjected nervously, placing her hand gently on Thor’s arm. “If it’s not too much trouble, could we maybe move this conversation inside? I’m kind of freezing my bouncy stars off out here…”  
“Of course, my dear Jane! I am sorry for not immediately noticing your discomfort!” Thor put his arm around her and wrapped her in his cape.  
Jane was obviously very pleased at this turn of events. She slipped her arm around Thor’s waist and began to lead him out of the trees. As Thor retrieved his hammer and glanced back to glare at Loki to ensure he was following, Ada found her words… loudly.  
“WHAT?!” the exclamation was some sort of a cross between a gasp and a shout. She looked from Thor, to Loki, and back to Thor. The gods stared at her in confusion, and Jane glared daggers.  
Ada coughed and waved her hands in front of her face. “Hang on… I just… what did you say to each other?” she asked almost frantically.  
Thor frowned thoughtfully. “I simply told Loki to hold his tongue, lest I gag him and leave him to the dungeons again.” Jane raised a suspicious eyebrow at this.  
Loki (whose default expression seemed to be “mischievous smirk”, Ada noted) continued, “And I asked Thor why, if he enjoyed demonstrating his power in such a way, he had not taken his Midgardian lover immediately after we arrived?”  
Jane’s face took on the hue of Thor’s crimson cape, and she released a flustered squeak. Even Ada was temporarily brought out of her academic frenzy by the audacity of Loki’s words, but was thrown right back into it when Thor shouted something else at Loki. Something that sounded familiar…  
“You’re… you’re speaking Old Norse to each other!” Ada pointed from Thor to Loki as her face cracked into a wide smile. Her expression suddenly shifted to a frown, and she looked down to the ground, rubbing her chin with her hand. “No no no, that’s not right, that form of “king” is too close to the original loan word… and the lack of the vowel [y] in the verb would indicate…” She began to pace back and forth, continuing her linguistic analysis.  
Thor looked down to Jane, whose recovery from her embarrassment was hastened by her confusion at Ada’s ramblings. She met his eyes and shrugged. Meanwhile, Loki regarded Ada’s increasingly frenzied pacing with curiosity and slight amusement.  
Ada halted suddenly and turned toward the gods and Jane, pointing again. She smiled triumphantly and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short by a flash of lightning and nearly simultaneous rumble of thunder. She glanced up at the sky, then back to Thor, who was also looking to the sky.  
“Is that you…?” Jane asked, following his gaze. Thor shook his head, beginning to frown. He, in turn, looked at Loki, who closed his eyes and shrugged in an exaggerated manner. However, Ada noticed that, for the first time since she attempted to stab him, Loki was not wearing his trademark smirk.  
Suddenly, the sky above them began to shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow. Thor braced himself protectively in front of Jane as three figures phased into being in front of the group. As their forms ceased to flicker, Ada could see that all three were women, and she could tell that the central figure obviously outranked the other two by their body language. This was confirmed when the two flanking women, each clad in heavy golden armor in the style of Thor’s, knelt as the third woman stepped forward. To Ada’s surprise, as their knees met the ground, a pair of eagle-like wings extended from each of their backs.  
The woman in the center was clothed in a flowing white robe and carried a spear and a gleaming silver shield. Her dark chestnut hair was pulled back severely into a bun, giving her a fierce look, despite her elegant dress. Her golden eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.  
Thor relaxed as she walked toward him. He separated from Jane and met the woman half way, bowing slightly but reverently. “My lady Skuld”, he said, straightening. “To what do we owe the honor of receiving a Norn on Midgard?”  
Ada clasped her hands together tightly. This night just couldn’t get any better… she thought, almost at the verge of tears.  
“Thor, Prince of Asgard!” Skuld said, raising her spear in greeting. Her voice was smooth and deep, and she spoke with authority. “And Loki of Asgard!” She turned to face him, spear still aloft. She placed its hilt back on the ground and again directed her attention to Thor.  
“Hm, lost my title have I?” Loki muttered, crossing his arms.  
Ignoring Loki, Skuld continued. “Unfortunately, I come urgently bearing distressing tidings. Dark times will very soon befall the Nine Realms, and I have foreseen that you will be at the center of them, Thor. You have acquired a weakness by giving your heart to a fragile Midgardian, and enemies of Asgard will to exploit it. They will use you to bring about…” Skuld’s eyes fluttered closed, and she whispered, “… Ragnarok.”  
Thor and Ada were visibly taken aback by this declaration, while Loki remained deadpan. Jane could obviously see that the statement was something important and, failing at subtly obtaining Thor’s attention, caught Ada’s eye. Ada stealthily sidled up next to Jane and whispered, “The end of the world!” Jane’s expression fell, and she stared hard into the back of Thor’s head.  
Thor, coming out of his shocked stupor, finally turned to look at Jane, and was met with her intense gaze. He slightly extended one arm to her, and she came to his side. His composure somewhat restored, he returned his attention to Skuld. “How?!”, he demanded. “How is that possible? Nowhere in the All-Father’s prophecy of the coming of the end times am I or my... heart mentioned. Tell me what you have seen, Lady Skuld!”  
Skuld’s eyes snapped back open, and their golden glow seemed to flash red for a moment. “You should know your station, Asgardian!”, she said sharply. Thor cast his eyes to the ground, ashamed of his outburst. “I am here only to furnish you with a warning!” Her face softened slightly. “However, my sisters and I have also deemed it acceptable to offer Asgard a bit of a… temporary protection service, if you will. We shall take your Midgardian into our custody until such a time that your emotional connection to her cannot be used against you. We will hide her within the protective boundaries of Yggdrasil, and she will be unreachable by your enemies. This will give you and your armies ample time to find and subdue those who would seek to bring Ragnarok.”  
Thor’s expression was unreadable to Ada. There was intense sadness, but also resignation and anger. She supposed she would liken it to that of a cornered lion.  
Jane, however, made her feelings known. “What do you mean, you’ll take me into your custody? Where is “ig-dray-zil”, anyway? Do I have ANY say in this?” She glared at Skuld.  
Skuld took a step towards Jane and, whether by natural height or by illusion, seemed to tower over her. Jane shrunk back into Thor’s cape. “You have no idea of the powers at work here, mortal”, Skuld said, spitting out the last word. “Do not make me rescind our offer.”  
Ada watched the exchange with trepidation. She didn’t want to throw herself into god business again, but she could see that her friend would most certainly be removed from earth against her will. She watched Jane and Thor look at each other lovingly but with fear in their eyes, and resolved that she had to do something… until she caught a glimpse of Loki behind the couple. His eyes were somewhat narrowed as he stared at Skuld, who took no notice of him. His lips were moving ever so slightly. Ada cocked her head in curiosity.  
“Jane…” Thor said gruffly as he pulled her around to his front. He wrapped her in an embrace before grasping her shoulders gently and pushing her away softly. Jane had tears in her eyes. “I am sorry, but we must do as she says. She is Skuld, the Norn who sees the paths that the future will lead us down, and her words carry great weight. Your confinement will only be temporary... beneath the branches of Yggdrasil is the safest place in the Nine Realms. I swear to you, I will find and destroy those who would even imagine laying a finger on you, and return to you once more.”  
“That will not be necessary, I think”, Loki said, taking a small step forward. “I believe they have already been found.”  
Loki flicked his hand, palm out, at a surprised Skuld. It glowed green for a moment, and the air around Skuld began to crackle with red electricity. She emitted a dreadful hiss, eyes shining red, as she aimed her spear at Loki and threw it. The spear shimmered right through Loki’s smug grin, as his double faded and the real god appeared only feet away. He squeezed his hand shut, and, as he did, Skuld burst into flames.  
Ada stumbled back and put her hand over her eyes to protect them from the sudden rush of heat. Thor quickly shielded Jane with his cape, and, face distorted with rage roared, “LOKI! What have you done?!”  
Loki giggled mischievously. “Oh Thor, you overestimate my desire to subvert authority! Do you think I would do such a thing to one of the true Norns, those that see more than Heimdall and are more well-versed in magic than the All-Father? Do you think I would even be able to? See for yourself the face of one who desires Ragnarok!”  
The flames engulfing Skuld subsided, but not completely. Small flames flickered at her shoulders and in her hair. Her flesh, now the color of still-burning embers, emitted such heat that Ada could see the air become distorted around her. Her eyes continued to glow golden-red, though her tightly bound hair had grown disheveled and black as night. Her once white gown clung to her now taller frame as burnt rags.  
“Fire jotun…” Thor breathed as Mjolnir whizzed to his hand. He again took a protective stance in front of Jane. “Jane, take your friend and get out of here, I think things are about to get dangerous.”  
Almost on cue, not-Skuld’s winged companions stood and drew their swords. Jane backed towards Ada, who was equally as fascinated as she was terrified. The fire jotun watched the girls’ horror with glee, smiling to reveal a mouthful of jagged teeth.  
“This does not have to end in a fight, creature”, Thor said loudly, drawing the woman’s attention back to him. “You have my word that I will not hurt you or your Valkyrie companions if you leave Midgard now.”  
The jotun’s laugh sounded more like a staccato growl. “You call me “creature”, boy…” she said, her deep voice now rough and harsh. “When your own brother is a…”  
“I don’t think what I am should be your concern at the moment”, Loki interrupted as he leisurely walked to Thor’s side. He fixed her with an icy stare, analyzing her. “A fire jotun impersonating a Norn, complete with a Valkyrie escort? Since when can your kind even perform such complex illusions? I must say, I am impressed.”  
The woman’s toothy grin widened. “You accuse me of impersonation? You wound me!” She feigned shock. “I am indeed a norn, just not the one you took me for! My sisters and I are norns of our realm. I am Gerðr of Muspelheim, and with my sisters Greip and Gjalp I will clear a path to Asgard for our lord Surt to burn it to the ground!”  
Loki turned to Thor and smirked. “Well, that’s helpful information isn’t it? I do love when our enemies reveal their plans unprovoked.”  
Thor’s face visibly brightened when Loki said the word “our”, but it regained its serious air almost immediately. He also turned to face Loki and began to speak to him in Ada’s mystery language.  
Ada, who had been backing away from the scene with Jane extremely slowly so as not to draw attention to herself or her friend, stopped when she heard Thor’s words. She gently beckoned for Jane to keep going, while she took a step forward to listen more carefully. Unfortunately, this step was directly onto the remains of her spinning needle wand, which cracked and crunched under her foot. Ada froze, and was suddenly an object of great interest to a lot of mythological figures.  
Gerðr caught sight of Jane behind Ada and pointed to her. One of the Valkyries swiftly took to the sky and landed on the other side of Jane, who had just turned to run.  
Thor, seeing this change in positions, again addressed Gerðr. “I do not particularly want to hurt you, but you are making it very hard to resist.” He raised Mjolnir slightly.  
“I’m glad to hear you say so, because I don’t want to have to hurt you”, Gerðr said, absently picking at the burnt remains of one of her sleeves. She looked up briefly then turned toward her remaining Valkyrie guard. She looked over her shoulder at Thor. “As I said before, you and your Midgardian will be playing a large part in our plans! But, alas, for now, I have places to be and World Trees to… well, you’ll see!” She smiled evilly and faced the Valkyrie. “Bring me the Midgardian!” she commanded, “And do not kill Thor! You may, however, dispose of Loki and the Asgardian maid as you wish!”  
The Valkyrie nodded, and its blank eyes turned to Loki and then Ada. Wait, what Asgardian maid? Ada thought. Suddenly, it clicked, and she looked down to her costume in horror. Ada raised her eyes slowly as the Valkyrie released a terrifying shriek.


	3. Chapter 3

Author’s note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

Gerðr enthusiastically spun to face Thor as the second Valkyrie took to the sky. She bared her fangs in a wide smile and sang, “See you in Asgard!”  
Thor swung his hammer at Gerðr’s head, but it simply passed through. Her form shimmered brightly and seemed to blow away in the breeze. Thor roared in rage, but his attention was immediately redirected to Jane’s screams.  
He whirled around and sent his hammer flying right past Ada’s nose and into the face of the Valkyrie that had grabbed Jane by the arm. The Valkyrie went sailing back into the trees, leaving bright red marks where it had held Jane roughly. Jane ran into Thor’s embrace, her star headband falling off in the process, and Thor wrapped a protective arm around her. He shouted something to Loki, who nodded and materialized a dagger into each hand, as Mjolnir whizzed out of the forest and back to Thor’s grasp.  
Ada, wary of the second Valkyrie that had disappeared into the dark autumn sky, cautiously made her way to the group as well, keeping her eyes cast upward as she went. She placed her back almost directly against Thor, with Loki to her right. Loki said something quietly to Thor and smirked, and Thor replied, but Ada was too frightened to even think about the Proto-Norse they were speaking…  
Ah-ha! That’s it, that’s why I can’t really understand them… Ada grinned, distracting herself. My god, if I could get a recording of them, I could die happy...  
Suddenly, a Valkyrie cry sounded from above. Loki’s eyes shot skyward, and he deftly threw his daggers into the diving Valkyrie’s neck and shoulder. Those were apparently weak spots in the Valkyrie’s golden armor, as it cried out and crashed to the ground in a heap. However, it was soon on its feet again, and, hissing, lunged for Loki with its sword. Loki quickly conjured a long knife and deflected the blow, but was apparently at a disadvantage as the Valkyrie had more range with its weapon.  
Dodging another strike, Loki called, “Would you mind lifting my magic limitations, Thor? There is only so much I can do with a knife!”  
At the same time, the Valkyrie who had previously gone for Jane burst out of the woods, on a path for Thor. Thor chuckled in spite of himself, energized by the fight, and called back, “I think that would be unfair to the Valkyries, don’t you? I know how much you can do with a knife!” In a smooth motion, Thor detached himself from Jane and hit his Valkyrie with a Mjolnir uppercut, causing it to drop its sword and fly back into the trees.  
Loki rolled his eyes and smirked. “I suppose you’re right…”, he sighed as his Valkyrie placed a well-aimed strike through his chest. Using the same ruse as before, his double faded around the Valkyrie’s sword, and the Valkyrie squawked in confusion. The real Loki materialized behind it, and struck a blow into the back of its neck, sending it tumbling toward Ada and Jane, who both quickly reversed.  
Loki walked over to the dazed Valkyrie and kicked it in the ribs before placing his foot on its chest. He bent down and placed his knife to its throat, tensing his muscles to make a fatal wound, when Thor snapped his fingers, freezing him in place.  
Thor turned to fully face his brother, who let out a very exasperated moan. “Loki! Can you not see that these Valkyries are under some sort of enchantment? We mustn’t kill them!”  
Just then, the first Valkyrie leapt onto Thor’s back, catching him off guard. He flailed and blindly swung Mjolnir at it, but was unable to accurately find its position. It clawed at his eyes and he shouted, dropping his hammer and trying to pull its hands away.  
Meanwhile, Loki’s Valkyrie had managed to wriggle free, and Loki, now off balance, fell to his side. Still frozen, he could do nothing as the Valkyrie returned his kick in the ribs in kind, and turned to menace the girls.  
Ada and Jane huddled close together in terror. “It just wants me!” Jane said shakily. “If I go with it, then you guys will be ok!” She took a ginger step forward and Ada caught her by her uninjured arm.  
“No, that is the worst idea. We wouldn’t be ok, because they’re going to use you somehow to end the world”, Ada said with a tremor in her voice. “Look, I took karate in middle school. I’ll distract the thing and you run. Hopefully by then Thor will have sorted himself out, and we’ll come find you.”   
Thor let out another howl of rage and stumbled behind the girls as the Valkyrie bit him in the neck.  
“Get going!” Ada said and went for the dropped Valkyrie sword. Jane nodded and ran for the tree line.   
OH MY GOD I NEVER LEARNED TO USE A SWORD, Ada screamed internally.  
The Valkyrie, seeing that Ada was now armed, decided not to waste any more time being intimidating and took off at her.  
Ada held the sword straight out in front of her and steeled herself as the Valkyrie flapped closer, letting loose a victory shriek. She closed her eyes and swung the sword as she would a baseball bat, lurching sideways due to the sword’s unfamiliar weight. The Valkyrie launched right through where she had just been standing and into the other Valkyrie clinging to Thor, stabbing it right between the wings. It screamed and released Thor, falling onto its attacker.  
Thor recovered quickly and retrieved Mjolnir, twirling it around in his hand until it became blurry. He then sent it flying into the second Valkyrie’s face, who was thrown backwards. Thor then called the hammer back in his direction, altering its path so it would impact the Valkyrie’s back. The Valkyrie was sent hurtling back towards Ada and Thor, landing face first at Thor’s feet, apparently knocked out.  
“JANE!” Thor called as Ada sat down in relief, dropping her sword. Thor looked around frantically.  
“I told her to run away, but she can’t have got far”, Ada said weakly, and gestured to the trees. “She went that way.”  
Thor took off without a second thought, leaving Ada in silence. She reveled in the calm after the night’s events, until she heard a muffled groan to her left. She slowly hefted herself up and walked over to Loki, who was still frozen in an incredibly awkward position. His face was half buried in the grass, and he was stuck supporting his weight on his hand that held the knife.  
Ada paused for a second at his side, trying to decide what to do. She crouched down and turned her head sideways to inspect his situation, and was immediately caught with a death glare from the one eye of Loki’s that was visible. He made a guttural sound of displeasure.  
“Yeesh, hang on a second…” Ada placed one hand on Loki’s shoulder and one on his hip and gave him a push. When his body didn’t move, Ada braced herself against the ground for a second try. “You’re heavier than you look!” She chuckled, grasping his leather shoulder pad tightly. He made a sound that Ada could only imagine would have accompanied a sarcastic comment.  
Ada gave him a hard shove, and Loki rolled onto his back, not unlike a turtle. Ada giggled, and then descended into full blown laughter, all the adrenaline from the fight suddenly leaving her muscles. Loki glared at her as best he could from his position; if looks could kill, Ada would’ve been hung, drawn, and quartered.  
Ada wiped a tear from her eye and, still snickering, stood up to find Thor reemerging from the forest with Jane in tow. He walked toward Ada and Loki with purpose, almost dragging Jane along. He stopped abruptly in front of them and snapped his fingers.  
Loki’s body melted into a relaxed position, and he sighed in relief. He opened his hand, which caused the knife to disappear, and sat up into a cross legged position. “Next time you visit Midgard, could you just leave me in the palace? I much prefer being confined to my chambers to becoming a living statue on your whim.” He stood, dusting the grass from his long leather coat.  
“Loki, there is no time for petty banter. We must immediately return to Asgard to warn father of this threat”, Thor said, releasing Jane next to Ada. He turned and walked to the Valkyries, hefting them over his shoulders. Their wings fell awkwardly in front of him, and he blew some stray feathers out of his face. “We must bring these back to Asgard as well.” He dropped them not very gently in front of Loki, who looked unimpressed.  
“And what of your Midgardian, then?” Loki nodded to Jane. “The fire jotun was kind enough to reveal that they would use her to get to you, so I don’t think you can just abandon her again.” He smirked.  
Thor fumed momentarily, but composed himself. “I never abandoned Jane”, he said softly. Loki shrugged. “But you are right; she cannot be left defenseless on Midgard. She will be returning to Asgard with us.”  
Ada’s eyebrows shot up with such vigor that they risked detaching themselves from her face. She turned to Jane, eyes sparkling, but Jane’s expression immediately dampened her spirits.  
“I don’t…” Jane sighed, turning away. “Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to travel to an alien planet via a wormhole, but these are less than ideal circumstances.” She looked back to Ada and grumbled, “Thor won’t even let me run to my flat to grab my camera or any instruments…”  
“Oh!” Ada exclaimed and ran back to the tree line, to where she first saw Jane and the Norse gods. She retrieved Jane’s purse and her discarded cell phone and carried them back. “I don’t know if there’s anything useful in here, but at least you can use your phone to take some pictures! Before it dies, that is…” Ada smiled ruefully. Jane returned the smile with sadness in her eyes.  
“Jane, we must go. Say your farewells”, Thor said gently. He nodded his own goodbye to Ada.  
Jane threw her arms around Ada, and Ada’s lip began to quiver. “Could you tell Doctor Miller that I had to go back to America or something?” Jane said, pulling away. “Ooo, tell him I went back to America and that I’m in a coma! Then he won’t wonder why I haven’t contacted him…”  
Jane giggled and nodded, sniffling a little. “Bring me LOTS of stories! God, what I would give to come with you…”  
“Ha! They’d kick you out!” Jane laughed. She was beginning to well up too.  
“Jane…” Thor held out his arm expectantly, Loki at his other side.  
Jane smiled at Ada one last time and walked over to Thor, weaving her way around the Valkyries. He placed his arm around her and raised his hammer. “HEIMDALL!” he called, and Ada could feel his voice reverberate around the forest.  
Tears ran down Ada’s cheeks, and she felt a bit guilty that they were not just caused by sadness, but jealousy as well. At first she thought the odd feeling in her stomach came as a result of that guilt, but as the feeling spread throughout her body, she became unsure. She could almost hear the air begin to crackle around her, and her hair stood on end. Suddenly, she felt a great tug from behind her belly button, and she found herself being pulled at great speed towards Jane and the gods, right into… Loki. Right into Loki’s arms, to be precise. Before she even had a chance to be shocked at the development, the Bifrost descended onto the group with a mighty crash, and Ada found herself on a technicolor journey through space in the embrace of a god.


	4. Chapter 4

Author’s note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”  
Author’s note II: this is a long one! Enjoy :)

It took Ada a moment to realize she was no longer being hurled through space and was instead standing on solid ground. She cracked one eyelid and was met with the warm, shining golden walls of the observatory at the end of the Bifrost. She opened her eyes fully and looked around in awe, mouth hanging open. As her gaze faced front again, she was met with Loki’s piercing green-blue eyes. Ada suddenly became aware of her arms, which were wrapped around his surprisingly slim waist. She immediately flung her arms straight out and away from him, causing his leather coat to flap at his sides. Loki gave Ada a smirk, almost too brief to catch, as he smoothed out his coat once more.  
Thor looked at Ada angrily and opened his mouth to chastise her for apparently stowing away, but she threw up her hands and shook her head in innocence, still too much in shock to say anything. “I should’ve known better…” He sighed and turned to Loki, giving him a few choice words in Proto-Norse.  
Ada caught Jane’s eye, and they both grinned like lunatics. Jane detached herself from Thor’s side and tiptoed to her friend. “I cannot believe that just happened!” she squealed, clutching Ada’s hand. “How long do you think we were in transit? My estimate is about 45 seconds, give or take. If I knew our speed, I could calculate the relative length of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, and that would give us a rough idea of-“  
“My Lord!” A powerful voice boomed behind them. The girls both spun to see the imposing figure of Heimdall standing on his observation platform, sword in hand, golden armor brilliant in the Asgardian sunlight. Ada nearly started hyperventilating. “What is the meaning of all these… visitors?”  
“Heimdall! I apologize old friend, but I have no time to explain!” Thor said, already halfway out the door with Loki in tow. “As I know you saw, a fire jotun threatened us on earth. I believe she means to try to destroy Yggdrasil. I will go to the All-Father’s side, and we will assess the situation.” He made eye contact briefly with Jane. “I shall send a ship to bring you to the palace. It is the safest place in Asgard.”  
Thor began to spin Mjolnir in his hand but had a second thought and again turned to Heimdall. “Oh, and make sure the Valkyries don’t cause any trouble!” With that, Thor grabbed a very unwilling-looking Loki, hurled his hammer, and took off in the direction of the palace. Their shape quickly faded into the distance.  
Heimdall eyed the Valkyries, who were in a heap on the floor. They were both stirring and moaning, but didn’t seem to be in any mood for a fight. He stepped down off of his platform, his sword arm relaxed but ready, in case he needed to discourage any aggression.  
Ada approached him tentatively, hands clasped in front of her, eyes shining. “You’re… you’re my favorite”, she said, barely audible.  
Heimdall looked at her strangely and Jane rolled her eyes.  
“I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!” Ada inched closer as Heimdall observed her somewhat suspiciously. “You’ve always been my favorite god since I was little! Mostly, I think, because you had gold teeth. Do you really have gold teeth?” As she peered into Heimdall’s confused face, she realized she might be acting slightly creepy. She took a step back. “Ah, haha, sorry, that’s kind of personal I guess!” Ada laughed nervously. “I mean, I like you for more than your teeth! Not that your teeth aren’t cool, even if they aren’t gold…”  
Ada was rescued from her floundering and one-sided conversation by Jane tugging her away. “Ada, don’t freak out the huge alien… god… guy with the sword!” She hissed.  
Ada gave Heimdall one last furtive glance over Jane’s shoulder, then cast her eyes down and sighed in defeat.  
Smiling, Jane shook her head in a knowing way. She quickly became more serious and asked, “What the hell happened back there, anyway? One second Thor was saying what I assume was the Asgardian version of “Beam me up, Scotty”, and the next second you’re stuck to Loki like he’s some sort of electromagnet! I didn’t even see you run over!”  
Ada furrowed her brow, remembering the strange incident. “Well, “run” isn’t the verb I would use… it was more of a pull, and I’m not sure-“  
“Ladies”, Heimdall rumbled. He nodded to the door. “I believe your transportation has arrived.”  
What resembled a Viking longboat with wings zoomed into view at the entrance of Heimdall’s observatory, coming to rest gracefully on the Bifrost. Two einherjar disembarked from the ship and entered the observatory. When they saw Heimdall, they came to attention and tapped the bases of their spears on the floor in greeting.  
“Heimdall, Guardian of the Bifrost!” One einherjar stepped forward slightly. “We have come on orders from Prince Thor to collect two Midgardians and take them to the palace.”  
Now it was Jane’s turn to be overly enthusiastic. She rushed past the surprised einherjar and began to examine the ship’s two engines, located on the bases of its “wings”. She grinned and beckoned manically to Ada.  
Ada followed Jane’s path, but stopped momentarily to smile at the einherjar. They looked down their noses at her in thinly veiled disgust. The smile melted off her face, and she hurried to Jane’s side.  
Jane immediately began to babble about “advanced propulsion technology” and “silent pulse detonation engines”, but the attitude of the einherjar had slightly put Ada off her initial enthusiasm about the ship. She mentally stuck her tongue out at them and forced herself to stop thinking about how cool their armor was. One thing in particular bothered her, though… why didn’t they speak Proto-Norse to Heimdall? What was the trigger that caused them, and Thor and Loki and the jotun for that matter, to switch to English? Why were they speaking English in the first place?  
When Jane stopped for breath after a particularly long run-on sentence about the theoretical effects of mechanical fatigue on repeated detonations, Ada took advantage of the break in the waterfall of science jargon. “Were you able to understand Thor, when you met him the first time?” she asked, squinting in concentration.  
Jane emerged from her science haze long enough to answer, somewhat incredulously, “Yeah, of course!” She promptly returned to verbally dissecting what made the flying ships fly.  
Ada looked back at the doorway of the observatory to see the two einherjar approaching the ship, looking quite displeased. As the einherjar who had spoken to Heimdall boarded the ship, the other motioned to the ship’s short ladder with his spear and avoided looking at the girls directly. Jane was far too excited about everything to notice, but Ada frowned.  
The second einherjar boarded behind the girls, and the ship’s engines whizzed to life. They made a pleasant, rhythmic sound, much softer than that of a jet engine. Jane listened to them thoughtfully and smiled. She was obviously getting more out of this than Ada, who thought they sounded rather like malfunctioning hair dryers.  
As the ship lifted off, Ada threw one more glance in the direction of Heimdall, who had returned to his observation platform to watch their departure. She smiled at him ruefully, and to her great surprise, his expression changed ever so slightly in response. While his golden eyes remained intense and his brow furrowed, the corners of his lips had been drawn upwards in a subtle smile. Ada grinned more confidently in return, and turned to face forward, the glittering palace of Asgard large on the horizon.

Jane nearly danced into the halls of the palace, while Ada moved at a slow but determined pace, keeping her eye out for inscriptions on the walls. When they and the einherjar had walked through the main palace gates, Ada had noticed some lettering, but she was rushed past it by the guards before she could read it. She did gather, however, that the caption was written in was runic, though she was unsure which runic alphabet it was.*  
The heavy steps of the einherjars’ boots echoed in the surprisingly empty halls. One einherjar walked ahead of the girls and one behind, leading them on a winding path through the palace, up grand staircases and through less elegant corridors, everything illuminated splendidly by the light streaming in through tall windows. Even those remaining star stickers on Jane’s dress seemed to shine proudly in such light. They caught Ada’s eye as Jane practically floated back toward her.  
“Can you believe this?” Jane exclaimed. “Not only are we probably the first humans ever to visit an alien planet, but we’re walking around their capitol! I can’t believe you’re not grilling the guards to death about words or something!”  
The lead einherjar looked back with a start at the phrase “grilling the guards to death”, but quickly faced front again.  
Ada made a face at the einherjar’s reaction, but smiled at Jane. “I dunno, they don’t seem like the… friendliest guys…”  
Jane nodded in agreement. “Yeah, they completely ignored my questions the whole way here! Maybe Asgardian propulsion systems are a state secret or something. I’ll ask Thor about it later.”  
The group ascended yet another staircase, this one more broad and splendid than any of the others before it. At the top, Ada looked out one of the windows and gasped, “Jane! Look how high we are!”  
The girls moved closer to the window, from which they could see the city stretching out before them. It shone silver and gold in the now-setting sun, like no city on earth could. The buildings were of all shapes and sizes, some unimaginably slender and graceful, reaching toward the darkening sky, and others squat, but somehow still giving off an aura of grandeur. Some buildings even appeared to have floating architectural elements! Sprinkled throughout them were patches and avenues of green, apparently park areas, which, instead of interrupting the flow of the city, seemed to compliment it and give it a feeling of organic splendor. Two moons, or planets, Ada wasn’t sure, were beginning to appear over the scene, solidifying its otherworldly beauty.  
Jane pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture. She slowly turned to Ada, childlike wonder radiating from her face. “There are planets on the horizon”, she said aloud, apparently trying to reassure herself that her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Ada nodded in confirmation, still taking in the view.  
The einherjar behind them struck his staff on the marble floor, making the girls jump. “Keep moving, mortals”, he grumbled.  
Ada nodded walked quickly after the lead einherjar, Jane following closely. They were now in a huge chamber and surrounded by outrageously tall columns, and Ada suddenly felt very small and frightened, her heart still pounding from the einherjar’s outburst. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and tried to ignore how overwhelmed she was suddenly feeling at her situation.  
Suddenly a huge explosion sounded to their right, so powerful it shook the floor under their feet. It was quickly followed by a blast of hot air, and the shout of a male voice.  
“Thor…” Jane whispered, then shouted, “THOR!” and ran in the direction of the commotion.  
The einherjar were unprepared for this development. One shouted something to the other in Proto-Norse, and they ran after her, their capes flapping behind them.  
Ada was hot on their heels. As she followed them around a column, a tall doorway came into view, bordered with intricate golden swirls. The huge wooden doors, themselves embellished in gold, were thrown wide open, and the sounds of battle poured out of them.   
As Ada passed through the doors, she found herself in another, smaller pillared space. The tall windows of this room had been shattered, and squads of einherjar poured in from a side entrance. They were all running toward the source of the disturbance, which was a large hole in the wall at the end of the room. The dust was still settling from the explosion that had apparently caused it. A bottleneck seemed to have occurred there, and groups of einherjar pushed and shoved to try and get through, some stumbling over the rubble. Jane stood to the side of the hole, standing on her tiptoes and frantically trying to see over the shoulders of the jostling soldiers.  
A second blast went off, blowing the legions of einherjar backwards, followed by another rush of intensely hot air. Ada watched as Jane, who was shielded from the blast from the remains of the wall, darted through the hole and disappeared inside. Ada was far enough away from the explosion that she only had to shield her face from the hot air, and dashed after Jane, jumping over the fallen einherjar, who were having a difficult time getting up due to their unwieldy dress armor.  
The room on the other side of the hole lacked the large windows present everywhere else in the palace, and had relatively little ambient light, save for a few torches. The real light source was a gigantic tree, stretching up to an invisible ceiling. It gave off a peaceful blue and white glow that sharply contrasted with the chaos going on at its roots. Ada, awestruck, followed the tree with her eyes from its trunk to its branches where, in addition to leaves, it also seemed to be bearing large fruit in the form of eight galaxies. “Yggdrasil…” Ada whispered.  
Now that she fully understood her surroundings, Ada took in the battle raging below the world tree. Three fire jotuns, one of which Ada recognized as Gerðr, stood with their backs to the tree, while hoards of Valkyrie viciously attacked the einherjar trying to reach them. Every once in a while a fire jotun would lob a flaming orb into a group of particularly tenacious einherjar, which would explode and take the whole lot out of commission.  
Ada flattened herself against the back wall of the room, not wanting to be noticed or become involved in any way. She looked around anxiously for Jane, Thor, or even Loki. However, while their familiar faces were nowhere to be seen, she did pick out a figure she thought she recognized from mythology: his face was wrinkled but sharp, with a bushy white beard and only one eye.  
Odin hoisted his staff, Gungir, which began to glow with an almost painfully bright light. He then pointed it in front of him, and with a sweeping motion, brought down at least a dozen Valkyries with the beam of energy it produced.  
This caught Gerðr’s attention, and she held a hand up for the Valkyries to stop fighting. The remaining Valkyries backed towards Yggdrasil, effectively surrounding it.  
The ranks of einherjar parted to allow Odin to pass through, Thor appearing at his side from out of the crowd. Behind them, Ada caught sight of Jane, pressed to the wall in a similar fashion to herself.  
“What is the meaning of this?!” Odin shouted as he came to the wall of Valkyries. One squawked at him and he glared at it so hard with his one eye that it shrunk back. “Asgard has no quarrel with Muspelheim, although your actions may cause one! Release the Valkyries from your spell and return the Norns of Yggdrasil immediately, and the lives of you and your people may yet be spared! However, your status as norns will be revoked immediately and you will spend eternity in our dungeons!”  
Gerðr and her sisters laughed sincerely at Odin’s demands. Through her laughter, Gerðr choked out, “Although your offer is ever so tempting, I think we’ll have to turn you down old man!”  
Odin fumed and Thor stepped forward. “Hold your tongue you vile creature! You will show the Allfather the respect he deserves!”  
“Oh dear, where are my manners?” Gerðr said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “We haven’t even introduced ourselves! I am Gerðr, these are my sisters Greip”, she nodded to the tallest jotun, “and Gjalp”, she nodded to the other jotun, who was slightly shorter. “We’re here to take Yggdrasil off your hands! We’ll also be taking that mortal over there.” She looked at Jane, who flinched under her gaze.  
A Valkyrie took to the sky in response to Gerðr’s indirect command, but was immediately grounded by a well-placed toss of Mjolnir. “Not while I still draw breath”, Thor growled as his hammer returned to his hand. He began to spin it to hurl at Gerðr, but stopped when Odin thrust Gungir in front of him.  
“Yggdrasil will not suffer weapons to pass beneath its branches”, Odin explained. “The fire jotuns have chosen their position based on this fact.”  
“Very observant, old man! I should give you more credit”, Gerðr grinned toothily. She narrowed her eyes at Jane. “Perhaps I shall let you keep your pet a little longer.”  
“Will they ever shut up, this is terribly dull”, a mellifluous voice purred next to Ada. She whirled to the source of the comment in surprise, finding Loki leaning casually against the wall next to her. He wore a disinterested expression, but his green eyes were sparkling as he regarded her.  
“Why the fuck did you bring me here?!” Ada hissed at him, placing her back to the wall again. She watched as Thor took another step forward, brandishing Mjolnir and shouting. She didn’t absorb anything he said; she was far too concerned about the presence of the god of mischief lounging to her left.  
“Why?” Loki appeared to become lost in thought. He then smirked and refocused his gaze on Ada. “Why not? Things can get a bit boring around the palace. Also, I admire your taste in headgear.” He produced Ada’s long forgotten horned headband, seemingly out of thin air.  
Ada looked from the headband in Loki’s hand to his face in disbelief. She frowned and tentatively took it from him, half expecting him to withdraw his hand. The clang of sword on armor brought her back to reality, and she turned so see Thor holding a Valkyrie by the neck. Its feet dangled helplessly above the ground.  
“Ooo, this may get more interesting after all!” Loki settled back, still grinning.  
“Enough of this posturing!” Gerðr’s voice boomed, echoing across the room.   
The einherjar shifted uncomfortably, their armor clinking in the silence that followed the announcement.  
Gerðr joined hands with her sisters, and they backed even closer to Yggdrasil. As the flames given off by the fire jotuns’ bodies licked the trunk of the tree, its light flickered almost imperceptibly. Ada got the strange feeling that it was almost as nervous as the einherjar.  
“Prepare for your end, Asgardians”, Gerðr said, voice hardly rising above a growl. “Yggdrasil and its Norns are now the property of Muspelheim. You can look forward to Ragnarok being brought upon you by one of your own!”  
The Valkyrie army began to shimmer and disappear, beginning with those Valkyries closest to Odin and Thor. The speed of the disappearances picked up as it continued, and finally the fire jotuns and even Yggdrasil began to sparkle unnaturally. Ignoring his father’s words, Thor roared and hurled his hammer at the forms of the jotuns, but by the time it reached its target, there was nothing left to impact.  
Yggdrasil was gone; in its place was a gaping hole in the floor, into which vestiges of soil crumbled. Odin’s sigh was audible in the strained silence.

 

*There are three! In order of age: the Elder Futhark, the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, and the Younger Futhark


	5. Chapter 5

Author’s note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

Odin quickly recovered his wits after the disappearance of Yggdrasil, and began barking orders to groups of einherjar. They scattered in all directions, going about their business like ants. As the room became less crowded, Odin set his sights on Jane, who was still glued to the wall of the room in fear. He pointed to her, and then made the apparently universal “come here” motion with his finger. Jane responded by taking a few tentative steps toward the Allfather.  
Thor left his father’s side to join Jane and to offer her encouragement. Together, they walked the rest of the way to an incensed Odin.   
“Father…” Thor said, speaking in a meek voice that Ada didn’t think could come from such a large and powerful individual. “This is…”  
“… A threat to the security of our kingdom, and all the Nine Realms!” Odin cut him off, his cheeks flushing with rage as he spoke. “When I allowed you to visit Midgard as a reward for quelling the turmoil that erupted after the destruction of the Bifrost, I gave you ORDERS to LEAVE YOUR MORTAL LOVER THERE! Do you think of yourself so highly that you are above the command of your king?! And now she is somehow involved with the plans of the fire jotuns! I fail to see how the situation you have put us in could be any worse!”  
Thor looked like a kicked puppy. Next to Ada, Loki’s broad smile gave way to a quiet giggle. She glared at him. Catching sight of her expression, Loki whispered, “What? I find joy in the little things.”  
“Father, I…” Thor began again, only to be silenced by Odin holding up his hand.  
“Okay, I know making first impressions with your boyfriend’s dad is important”, Jane said, anger growing in her voice. “But you don’t even know the full story! Sir.” She looked down at her feet, trying to appear somewhat respectful.  
“No, indeed you do not.” Loki’s silky voice suddenly joined in the conversation. Shocked, Ada glanced to where he was just leaning against the wall next to her, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was walking up to Odin from behind Thor. Jane turned to scowl at him. “Because, you see, there is a second mortal in our midst…” He gestured gracefully to Ada, and Odin’s eye followed. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, and somewhat betrayed by Loki. But mostly vulnerable.  
“You! Volva! Come here this instant!” Odin ordered.  
“No no! Not a volva! Just a linguist!”Ada said nervously, wondering if that explanation made things better or worse. She walked quickly in his direction, desperate to clarify herself fully. She stopped a few yards from Odin, frightened of how he might react to her presence. “It’s just a costume!” She said quietly, nervously tugging on her cape.  
Odin regarded her coldly with his one eye, then turned back to Thor. “I can understand the presence of your mortal lover, but what is the purpose of this second Midgardian?”  
“I have a name…” Ada heard Jane grumble under her breath.  
“To be honest, father, I have no idea” Thor said, looking at Loki as a way of responding to the Odin’s question.  
“Why do you look to me, brother?” Loki said with exaggerated innocence. “I was simply waiting by your side to ascend the Bifrost, when suddenly she was clinging to me-“  
“Apologies, brother, but I am more inclined to believe the mortal’s account of events, although I cannot fathom your reasons for disobeying the Allfather so flagrantly!” Thor said. It occurred to Ada that they were acting like two little boys trying to get each other in trouble.  
Loki responded with some snide comment in Proto-Norse, obviously trying to goad Thor on. Thor took the bait and shouted something back in the language.  
“ENOUGH, you two!” Odin said sternly, pounding the base of Gungnir on the floor. “Loki will be returned to confinement within his quarters. It was obviously a mistake to trust you with him.” Thor looked away in shame. “As for the mortals, they shall be imprisoned in the dungeon until such a time that they can be safely returned to Midgard. Heimdall’s eyes are needed to find Yggdrasil, and there will be no comings or goings via the Bifrost until we have secured it. Guards!”  
Four einherjar marched forward at Odin’s command. Two grabbed an indignant Loki by each arm. He quickly wrested himself out of their grip and brushed himself off. “I can find it myself, thank you”, he spat. The einherjar looked to Odin for instructions on what to do next, but he simply nodded at Loki, who was swiftly walking away. They scuttled after him.  
The other two einherjar seized Ada and Jane. Jane cried out as the soldier tightened his grip on her injured arm.  
“Father, please! The dungeon is too harsh a place for them, they are only delicate mortals!” Thor begged Odin. “I will give up my quarters for them to stay in comfort, if I must!”  
Odin stared into Thor’s earnest face and sighed. “You resemble your mother so much, it’s uncanny sometimes.” Ada caught a hint of a smile on the old man’s lips. He grew serious again. “But it must be done, as much for their safety as ours. Guards-“  
“Please, sir!” Ada spoke up, her voice full of emotion. She had been watching the color drain from Jane’s face as the einherjar maintained a firm grip on her arm. “My friend needs a doctor, or healer! We haven’t done anything wrong, we didn’t mean to come here or cause trouble!” Ada felt moisture on her face, and realized tears were pouring from her eyes. Exhaustion had gotten the better of her composure.  
Odin’s eye had gone glassy and he seemed to stare through Ada. Then, in a move that surprised everyone, he waved the einherjar back from the girls. Jane released an audible sigh of relief, rubbing her arm gently. Ada sniffed and dried her eyes on her cape. “Fine…” Odin almost looked angry at himself for changing his mind, as if he wasn’t sure what had come over him. “Thor, take your Midgardian to the healing rooms. I will have the other one escorted to the guest quarters.”  
Thor was already almost out the door with Jane by the time Odin finished his sentence. He smiled in spite of himself, watching them go. He turned back to Ada, who was still wiping at tears, somewhat annoyed at herself that she didn’t keep her cool in front of the king of the gods.  
“Thank you”, Ada said, trying to tidy herself. She attempted a curtsy.  
The smile was gone from Odin’s face. “What is your name, girl?” he demanded more than asked.  
“A-Aðalrun. My name’s Aðalrun”, Ada stuttered. “But everyone calls me Ada.”  
“Mortal Aðalrun.”A trace of a smile returned to Odin’s face. “If you or Thor’s lover cause any harm to befall my kingdom or my people, I will have you executed.”

The einherjar guards kept a fast pace through the palace. Ada noticed that previously empty halls were now bustling with activity; maids and soldiers rushed to and fro, and every once in a while what looked to be a well-dressed palace resident walked past. The sun had set fully, and a multitude of torches now cast their dancing light on the gilded walls.  
After turning down a particular corridor, the ratio of maids and servants to soldiers increased dramatically. The only einherjar Ada could see were those leading her, and a pair posted in front of a doorway toward the end of the hall on the left. Ada’s guards stopped next door to the other guards, and the two pairs nodded to each other. One of Ada’s guards produced a large golden key and inserted it into a golden keyhole in the grand wooden doors, turning it to produce a heavy “clonk”. He pushed the doors open and stepped inside, followed by the second guard. Ada followed them obediently, keen not to upset anyone.  
Before Ada got a chance to take in the contents of the room, the doors were slammed behind her, making her jump. She turned to see her guards had each taken a position beside the doorway and stood at stiff attention, eyes staring into the middle distance at nothing in particular.  
“Uh, so…”, Ada started nervously. “Is this my room then? Will Jane be coming? Er, she’s the other Midgardian.”   
No answer. Ada smiled at them in the awkward silence, but her expression faded to a frown at the prolonged period of stillness.  
“Helloooo?” She waved her hand in front of one of their faces. His eyes moved a miniscule amount (to glare at her) and then returned to a blank stare.  
“Ah, like the Palace Guards in London…” Ada muttered to herself. She considered the pair for a moment more before turning to examine her quarters.  
Like the rest of the palace, her room was decorated in warm tones of gold, yellow, and red, with hints of cooler colors mixed in to try and break up the monotony. It was a very organic space; there did not seem to be a straight wall in the whole room, they all had at least a gentle curve to them. To Ada’s eyes, the décor of the room was a strange, but not unpleasant, mixture of Moroccan and Nordic. A cluster of colored glass lanterns hung at varying heights above what looked to be some sort of a couch mounted into the far right corner of the room. They cast a soft glow on the assorted pillows arranged tastefully on it. A fountain burbled peacefully in front of the arrangement.  
Ada’s eyes wandered to the right of the room where, to her delight, two colossal bookshelves stood, curved as well to fit flush against the wall. Although she could see quite a few large tomes nestled against Asgardian bookends and knickknacks, she forced herself to temporarily ignore them. Ada could feel her exhaustion in her bones, and she knew that she would be unable to do the books any justice if she examined them in her current state of mind.  
Situated between two bulging walls at the back of the space (Living room? Lounge? Ada wasn’t sure what would be a proper name for the area) was a smaller wooden doorway, ringed by a golden knotwork pattern. Ada pushed the doors open gently and was greeted by a rush of warm air from a grand fireplace immediately to her right. The wall dividing the living room from the bedroom curved around it slightly, creating a cozy alcove. There were two enormous and impossibly poofy couches in front of the fire, begging to be burrowed into with a warm drink and a good book.  
Tall windows stretched up to the ceiling on the opposite wall, and Ada walked towards them. Lifting a silky curtain, she peeked out and saw a beautiful vista of the city bathed in the light of the neighboring planets, which shone like two large moons. In the distance, Ada could see Heimdall’s observatory, and beyond that, nothing but stars. They seem so much brighter here than on earth, she thought.  
To Ada’s left was another small but embellished door- Ada assumed that was the bathroom. She ignored it temporarily in favor of the gargantuan bed situated in the far corner of the room. The bed itself was nearly as tall as Ada’s waist, and its grand and highly decorated headboard was butted up against the wall. About ten golden pillows were arranged tidily against it, and the blankets draped over the bed itself were richly embroidered. A bright white dressing gown was neatly laid in the center of the bed.  
Hm, only one… Ada thought. A worry passed through her mind about Jane, but it was quickly quelled by recalling that she was with Thor, the long-distance boyfriend she hadn’t seen in over a year… I’m sure she’s doing just great, Ada smiled to herself.  
Ada began to undress, haphazardly throwing her cape, woolen dress, and undershirt onto the floor. She placed her belt bag and accessories on the bedside table, and pulled the dressing gown over her head. The fabric was soft and luxurious but breathable; although it looked thin, Ada could feel how insulating it was. She wondered how cold the nights got on Asgard.  
Ada pulled back the sheets and removed several of the pillows from the bed. As she slipped under the covers, the light in the room seemed to dim. Disconcerted, Ada stepped out of bed and the light became brighter. Warily, Ada slipped her legs back into the sheets, and the light dimmed again. “Well, that’s convenient”, she said aloud.  
She gazed sleepily at the flames dancing in the fireplace, and she caught a dark shape against the wall out of the corner of her eye. Ada sat up slightly to try and see it more clearly. It was a very modest wooden door with a simple handle and a ragged keyhole, although in Ada’s grogginess it almost looked like the figure of a man. She wondered what the point of it was, when all the other doors were so highly decorated. She concluded that it must be firewood storage or something of the like and rolled over, snuggling into the supple pillows.  
A mischievous green eye blinked on the other side of the keyhole.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

 

                Ada slowly opened her eyes just a crack and basked in the warm sunlight streaming through the curtains. She smiled and closed her eyes again, burrowing deeper into her cocoon of fluffy duvet. _I’m glad I went to bed so early last night_ , she thought. _Otherwise I would’ve been wiped after… after…_

                Ada’s eyes popped open and she sat bolt upright in bed. She whipped her head around, taking in her surroundings to confirm that, indeed, she was in the guest quarters of the royal palace of Asgard. The room was just as beautiful in the morning sunshine as it was by firelight, if not more so.

                But Ada was immediately distracted as memories of the last 24 hours continued to flow through her mind. She placed her hand to her forehead, the room beginning to spin around her. All of her thoughts and memories suddenly converged on one thing, restoring Ada’s stability: “Jane…”, she said softly, looking up.

                She hadn’t seen her since Thor carted her off to “the healing rooms”, whatever those were. She hoped that Asgardian medicine was much more advanced than that of the ancient Norse whose language they seemed to speak.

                Ada swung her feet out of the sheets and almost tumbled out of bed; she had forgotten how tall it was. She gathered her volva costume off the floor and had started to pull her Asgardian pajamas off when, without so much as a knock, her bedroom door was thrown open.

                Startled, Ada scrambled back onto the bed, tugging her nightdress back on in the process. Several women, dressed plainly in dark brown frocks over white undershirts, streamed into the room and began to putter about, opening the curtains, stoking the fire, and generally tidying. One even went into the bathroom, which Ada realized she needed with a sinking feeling.

                The maids apparently took no notice of her as they went about their business. One began to pick up her costume, again forgotten on the floor when Ada jumped into bed. She turned and started to walk out the bedroom door.

                “Oh… uh… hey!” Ada called after her, venturing out of bed again. The maid froze. “I, uh, don’t have anything else to wear, so could I keep those?”

                The maid turned her head slightly to look at Ada out of the corner of her eye with a mixture of revulsion and fear. The other maids, done with their chores, hurried out the door in front of her.

                “Sorry?” Ada said, not sure how to respond to such a reaction. She took a step toward the maid and the maid took a step away, keeping Ada in her peripheral vision. Ada frowned and stepped forward again, and again the maid echoed her movement, keeping the distance between them.

                Ada sighed and authoritatively walked toward the maid, who all but ran out the door. As Ada passed through the doorway, she was greeted by a cold glare from an older maid with a stern, pointed face, emphasized by the fact that her hair was pulled back severely. She wore a short headscarf and a fair amount of jewelry, which singled her out from the other maids.

                “I am Drifa, head of the maidservants of the palace,” the woman said in a monotone voice. “May I ask why you are accosting one of my maids, m’lady?” She pronounced the last word with a mix of sarcasm and resentment.

                Ada matched her glare, tired of being treated like she had some sort of disease. “Accosting…? She took my clothes, and I asked for them back. When she didn’t give them back, I followed her to try to talk to her and…”

Movement to her left caught Ada’s eye. To her surprise, einherjar were swarming over her bookshelves. Several were already filing out the door with books in hand.

“H-hey!” Dismayed, Ada ran over to them. She looked around frantically at the now nearly bare shelves. Ada realized they were not her books to begin with, but she had looked forward to browsing through them. “Could I at least keep a couple…?”, she asked sheepishly.

One of the einherjar turned to her and gave her the now-familiar look of disgust and dislike. “You are imprisoned on suspicion of being a sorceress. You are to have no access to Asgardian books, as you may use them as weapons against the kingdom.”

Ada’s arms fell to her sides helplessly as she stared at him in disbelief. “Oh COME ON”, she finally said, balling her fists. “I am a LINGUIST, the worst I could do to you is phonetically analyze your sentences! I’m not a volva, or a sorceress, so stop treating me like I’m covered in slugs or something! I told Odin, ask him!”

The einherjar raised an eyebrow at her casual mention of the king. “The Allfather was the one who ordered your books to be removed,” he said as he turned back to the shelves and snatched the final small tome from between two bookends. He then walked out, doors closing behind him. Two einherjar remained to guard the door.

Ada threw up her hands in defeat and sulked back to her room. “Worst Halloween costume ever…” she muttered.

She pulled the door shut and leaned against it. She stared at her feet, sighing heavily. To her surprise, another pair of feet entered her vision. Ada looked up and met Drifa’s still frosty glare.

“You have an entire wardrobe at your disposal, m’lady,” she said, turning and walking toward two tall standalone closets that Ada had assumed were empty. “You have no further need for those… rags.”

Ada frowned, remembering how expensive her woolen dress was when she bought it in Norway. She grumpily followed Drifa around the front of the closets. A small dressing table with a mirror stood in a corner of the room Ada had not noticed before, as it was partly obscured by the enormous pieces of furniture. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, and was horrified by the state of her hair, which gave her the appearance of a ginger dandelion. She nervously pawed at it, trying to get it to lay flat.

Drifa ignored her and flung one of the closets open, revealing a rainbow of dresses made of a variety of materials. Ada instantly forgot her hair and stared at them in awe. She reached out and took the sleeve of one between her fingers, rubbing it thoughtfully. And she had thought her dressing gown was soft!

“I have been instructed to assist you with your dress and toilet, as I have been told that you may be confounded by Asgardian clothing,” Drifa said, looking at Ada out of the corner of her eye.

Ada withdrew her hand from the dresses and blushed. “I think I’ll be okay with my… toilet… thanks,” she said. “And this all looks pretty straight forward, I think I can do it myself.”

Drifa walked to the other closet and opened its doors as well, exposing an array of shining metal breastplates and other armor. She looked over her shoulder at Ada, a hint of a grim smile on her lips.

“Oh…” Ada trailed off. “I see what you mean.”

 

                Ada sat at a long table in the living area of her quarters. She stared at her einherjar guards with her elbows on the table, her chin resting on her hands, willing them to twitch or sneeze. She estimated it had been about five minutes without so much as a deep breath from either of them. She straightened her back and adjusted the golden half-breastplate that Drifa had selected for her outfit.

                She scooted her chair back noisily, hoping for some reaction from the einherjar, but she was again disappointed. She stood up and stretched, pushing her chair back under the table with her foot. She admired how the almost translucent fabric of her dress draped over her ankle.

                Ada spun to walk to her bedroom door, purposely letting her skirt twirl in a large circle around her.  She was pleased with her choice of outfit: a long, flowing gown made of something resembling silk, but somehow not entirely opaque. It had a cowl neck that revealed her collar bone, and tulip-style sleeves that split into graceful waterfalls of pink gossamer beneath her golden shoulder plates. The fabric of the gown faded from a forest green to the same shade of rose pink as her sleeves at the hem. Drifa’s choice of Asgardian armor accessories (which were apparently a thing… Ada wondered about the cultural origins of wearing such protection casually) gave the gown more of a shape; the breast plate stopped at where an empire waist normally would, and while Ada was afraid it would be terribly uncomfortable, Drifa assured her that the metal was engineered to move with her body and fit its form.

                Well, Drifa had specifically said it was ENCHANTED to move freely and fit her form, but Ada had spent enough time around Jane to be suspicious of any explanation that consisted of simply “magic”. There had to be a logical explanation for it, just as there had to be for Loki’s teleportation… and Yggdrasil’s galaxy-bearing branches… and the fire jotun’s shape shifting… well. It was kind of over Ada’s head, but she was confident that Jane would be able to figure it all out if she had enough time to examine the phenomena.

                _Ugh, Jane_ … Ada thought, walking further into her bed chamber, closing the door behind her. _I hope she’s having more fun than I am…_

                She surveyed her room, looking for something else to do. Her eyes came to rest on the boring wooden door by the fireplace that she noticed the night before. She strode toward it confidently and reached out to touch it.

                Ada ran her hand over the door’s rough wood, recoiling with a squeak when it gave her a splinter. She carefully drew the sliver of wood out of her finger, and sucked on the small wound thoughtfully. When she was satisfied it wouldn’t start bleeding, she began to inspect the door more closely.

                Its handle was in such woeful shape that Ada thought it would give her more splinters just looking at it. The keyhole, too, had seen better days; she doubted that it could even function as a locking mechanism at this point. Wanting to avoid further injury, she elected to try the door by putting her pinky finger in the keyhole and pulling.

                Ada fully expected the door to be stuck shut, but, to her surprise, it popped easily open to reveal… another door. This door was in much the same state as the first one, but its hinges indicated that it would open outward instead.

                Ada considered it for a while. It was the same concept that was used for adjoining hotel rooms, but did she have access to the room on the other side of the door? Or would she be executed for “invading the palace” or some other absurd crime if she tried to open it?

                She decided to play it safe and just peek through the keyhole. She looked behind her first, to make sure her guards hadn’t suddenly become mobile and were watching her. Satisfied, she pressed her eye to the keyhole.

                The other room seemed to be set up almost as a mirror image of her own. However, Ada noted with interest, everything seemed to be on a much grander scale. The bed, in fact, was almost laughably grand; it was easily bigger than hers by a half, and featured the addition of a tall canopy with rich green curtains, lavishly embroidered in gold. She imagined that the occupant would have to climb a ladder just to get into bed at night.

                Next to the bed stood a tall bookshelf; it was so tall that Ada couldn’t see the top of it. It was crammed with volumes great and small, and she squinted to try to read the spines through the keyhole. She envied whoever possessed such an amazing collection.

                She withdrew her eye from the hole and stepped back, closing her door in front of her. She wandered toward the tall windows at the end of her own bed, trailing her fingers along its footboard, trying to think of a possible occupant for the other room. Was it for visiting royalty? Or perhaps another god? It had to be a god’s room, no mere mortal could deal with a bed that large.

                As Ada came closer to the windows, she realized that there were actually delicate doors built into them that led out to a large stone balcony. They had spindly, curving golden handles and, much to Ada’s delight, no locks. She eagerly but gently opened one of the doors and stepped outside.

                A soft, warm breeze stirred the fabric of her dress and she smiled. The view from the balcony was stunning, even better than the one that Jane had taken a picture of the night before. The morning sun shone on the metallic buildings of Asgard, making them sparkle like a sea of glitter. The Bifrost, running from the city to Heimdall’s observatory, seemed to flow like a river as the light danced on it. To Ada’s surprise, she could still see a multitude of stars on the horizon beyond the observatory.

                She walked to the edge of the balcony and placed her hands on the thick stone railing that ran around it. To either side she could see similar balconies, although they seemed to increase in size to her right, reinforcing her idea that the neighboring room belonged to a god. She stuck her head over the edge of the balcony to see if there were rooms below as well. She found she couldn’t get a good view, so despite the fantastic height, she stretched her neck a little bit more. Ada immediately regretted the decision, as she quickly began to feel dizzy. She wasn’t sure if it was the height, or the smell of burning hair…

                Ada jumped back and screamed, drumming on the top of her head to make sure her hair wasn’t alight. All she found was an extremely warm patch and a few singed hairs. She looked up again to see a glowing orange knotwork pattern fading in the air where her head had just been.

                “What the…?” Ada stepped forward and reached out to touch the area where the pattern had formed.

                “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a smooth voice called from her right. Ada withdrew her hand with a start and whirled around to face the source of the voice. It was just as she thought; her neighbor was a god.

                And that god was Loki.

                Instead of his leather-heavy ensemble from the night before, Loki wore a simple green shirt made of a cotton-like material under a long, black vest with broad shoulder pads. His loose black trousers dragged on the floor around his bare feet. Ada noticed that his outfit did not conform to the armor-as-accessories style that Drifa had forced her into; she wondered if he was still wearing pajamas.

                “You really are quite stupid, aren’t you,” Loki drawled, apparently amused by his own superiority. “You just set your hair on fire, and your first inclination is to touch whatever burnt you in the first place? Truly amazing.”

                Ada glared at him with all her might, still angry at him for… well, everything, but particularly for calling her out in front of Odin after the battle. She marched to the farthest right edge of her balcony, and was disappointed to find there was a wide gap between where hers ended and Loki’s began. God or not, she wanted to give him a good slap. She gripped the railing hard in frustration.

                Loki’s eyes twinkled at her reaction. “I am surprised, though, that Odin had a shield put in place around the room of a being that is so frightfully inept,” he continued. “Perhaps he wants to prevent you from falling from your balcony by accident.”

                “Shield?” Ada said incredulously. “What do they think I’m gonna do, fly away? Ugh, this is getting ridiculous.”

Ada frowned at her hands on the railing and sighed. Slowly, she looked back up to scowl at Loki’s smug expression, caught between the urge to shout obscenities at him or to respectfully withdraw to her bedroom. Here she was, meeting the deities so often referenced in her studies, and instead of the wealth of information she had hoped they would be, she found that one was terrifying, and the other was… well, Loki. Thor (and Heimdall) seemed nice enough, but while Jane was probably getting a guided tour of the palace from her Asgardian boyfriend, Ada was locked up next to a wanted criminal with questionable intentions. She sighed again, more heavily this time, and directly at Loki.

His smugness was turned down a couple of degrees by her display. “What in the Nine Realms could be causing you such dissatisfaction? You are living in a state of luxury the likes of which no mortal has ever known, among beings far greater than yourself and your peers, and yet you sigh? Midgard must have no concept of gratitude,” he said sourly.

“Hey, I never asked to get abducted from my home planet and taken to some alien world… or godly realm… or _whatever_ this is!” Ada almost yelled at him. She closed her eyes and continued more calmly, “Look. I fully appreciate the… _privilege_ of being here, believe me. I’ve read all of the Norse myths about a thousand times, both for research and pleasure, and before that, they were my bedtime stories. But everyone I’ve spoken to in the palace treats me like I have the plague, and now they seem to think I’m a sorceress. I suppose that’s why my room has a shield.”

Loki crossed his arms and looked bored. “And have you given them a reason to make that assumption? _Someone_ must have been bewitched at some point for you to be promoted from the dungeon to royal guest quarters.”

Ada rolled her eyes. “If I could bewitch people, I wouldn’t have been dressed like a volva at a university Halloween party last night. I think Odin… er, the Allfather,” she corrected herself, “decided not to put us in the dungeon out of pity for Jane’s injury.”

“Pity?” Loki spat, rage filling his eyes. He turned his back to Ada to disguise the sudden overflow of emotion. “There does not exist a single shred of pity in his body. What he parades in front of people as pity are actually the thinly-veiled political machinations of a heartless man.” He looked over his shoulder to glower at Ada. “Perhaps he put you here to punish me in my confinement,” he said somewhat sarcastically.

Ada stared at him, deadpan, unsure of how to react to his outburst and subsequent insult. Irritated by his attitude, she crossed her arms as well. “After what you did to New York, you deserve more than me as punishment,” she scoffed. “At least you have your books to keep you distracted.”

“As do you,” Loki retorted. “All guest rooms are stocked with a variety of literature. Thor’s Midgardian told us that you were an academic; why don’t you try to better yourself by absorbing some of our superior writings.”

“Nope, I’m a sorceress, remember?” Ada wiggled her fingers by the sides of her face menacingly. “A bunch of soldiers took my books because I’ll apparently use them to take over the kingdom.” She sadly gazed off to her left, distracting herself with the beauty of the city.

“They _took_ them?” A look of genuine shock crossed Loki’s face for a moment as he turned to face her again. He quickly coached his expression back into a mix of smugness and disinterest. “My, that is a cruel and unusual punishment. What have you done to prompt them to treat you so brutally?”

Ada knitted her brow and continued to stare into the distance, unable to think of a good comeback. She sighed and decided to ignore him.

“More sighing? There will be no more air left to breathe in Asgard if you continue this way. Perhaps you mean to destroy us with your incessant depression.” Loki’s mouth twisted into a playful smirk as he awaited her reaction. He grew frustrated as she continued to disregard him.

Ada turned on her heel and walked back towards the door to her room. She had had enough of being insulted by a god; it was more fun to stare at the einherjar.

“Knock on my door tonight… I believe you know the one,” it was just a whisper, but Ada heard Loki’s voice as loudly as if he was standing right next to her, despite him standing a whole balcony away. She blushed when she realized he knew about her spying, but kept walking.

“I will put an end to your intellectual drought.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

               

               Ada slipped back into her bedroom through the balcony door and pulled it shut somewhat violently. She suddenly wished it _did_ have a lock.

                She wanted to pull her curtains closed to prevent any possibility of godly prying eyes, but she found that the maids had tied them back with cords braided into complex and highly decorative knots. She picked at them, befuddled, but quickly gave up trying to undo them.

               Ada remembered the pillow covered couch nestled in the corner of her living quarters. She walked quickly to her bedroom door, pulled it open, and made a beeline for the secluded seating area. She was immediately thankful for the presence of some light curtains hanging beside it; she swiftly drew them. She didn’t particularly want to stare at the einherjar while she tried to burrow a hole into the mountain of pillows.

                Ada wasn’t sure why she felt such a strong urge to hide; it was certainly not out of fear. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but her conversation with Loki- especially that last bit- had stirred something in her.

               From her pillow cave, she watched the gentle rustling of the curtains and listened to the soothing burble of the fountain beyond them. She hugged a small spherical pillow to her chest, almost vibrating with energy and excitement. For the first time since the Yggdrasil incident, Ada was actually excited to be in Asgard. The outlook for the remainder of her captivity seemed positive, if Loki would lend her books! Maybe, if he could stop insulting the human race and her own intelligence every other sentence, she could interview him about the use of Proto-Norse on Asgard! And if he didn’t outright murder her, perhaps they could discuss Norse mythology!

               The more Ada thought about it, the less excited she became. She released her death grip on the spherical pillow and pushed it down the couch, watching it roll. This was, after all, the invitation of a trickster god; taking it with a grain of salt would be putting too much faith in it. She kicked the pillow the rest of the way across the couch until it fell to the floor.

               As far as Ada could tell, there were two possible outcomes of the potential rendezvous: Possibility one was that Loki would invite her into his room and somehow use her presence to make himself the victim, possibly by calling his guards and claiming that she had broken in. Possibility two would be that he killed her.

               Loki seemed slightly less homicidal toward humans since his attack on New York, at least in the case of Ada and Jane; Ada figured he wouldn’t dare threaten Jane due to the probability that Thor would dismember him for harming a hair on her head. But Ada didn’t have the advantage of divine protection, and Loki certainly didn’t seem to feel the friendliest toward her (although he was marginally more polite than the palace staff). Possibility two was less likely than possibility one, but the fact that it had any likelihood at all concerned her.

               And then there was the dark horse: the idea that, perhaps, it was as Loki had originally said, and he did bring Ada to Asgard because he was bored. Maybe he just wanted some company, even if it was from a lowly and unworthy Midgardian.

 

               Ada supposed that Loki’s boredom did play a large part in his offer, no matter what his intentions. The real question was if he was bored enough to keep her around.

*****************

               

               Ada agonized over the situation for the next hour or so and had nearly fallen asleep in her pillow fort when she heard her doors open, followed by the clatter of something metal. Before she could extract herself from the couch, the doors had closed again with a bang. She stuck her head out through the curtains warily.

                The two einherjar guards remained statue like in their positions. However, on the table from where Ada had stared at them earlier, there was an enormous tray of steaming food and drink. The heavenly smell drew Ada out from behind the curtains.

                She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until that moment. She had received no breakfast, although she had been too preoccupied to notice, and her stomach grumbled expectantly. She pulled out her chair and sat down to enjoy the feast.

                She spread the included golden napkin over her lap and looked under and around the multiple plates for utensils. Surely they didn’t expect her to eat a bowl of soup, a platter of cooked vegetables, and an entire chicken without cutlery? Surely they didn’t expect her to eat all that, period?

                Ada picked up the enormous chalice of liquid that stood next to her food and sniffed it. The aromatic and honey-rich smell of mead filled her nostrils. She had no idea what time it was in Asgard, but for her regular standards, it felt too early to partake in fermented beverages. But, really, recent events had sort of nullified her regular standards; she took a hearty swig.

                A memory flitted through Ada’s mind as she savored the mead- the first time her father had let her taste the stuff that he called _mjoð_. She was underage at the time, probably about thirteen, and she felt so mature when her father had offered her a sip. He had laughed when she screwed up her face in reaction to the flavor, which was quite a bit more potent than she had expected.

                Ada hadn’t thought of that in a long time; not since before her father died three years ago. She wondered what he would make of her situation, and smiled to herself sadly.

                She took another gulp of mead both to clear her mind and to prepare her for the mammoth task of disassembling the chicken without utensils. She successfully freed a drumstick without much trouble and set it next to the rest of the chicken. Ada was quite pleased with her work; she rewarded herself with another mouthful of mead.

                She worked her way through most of the chicken and half of the mead in that manner. Full of liquid courage, she was no longer concerned with the lack of utensils- she lifted the soup bowl to her lips and slurped it loudly. She followed the soup with a bite of cooked carrot, which actually was a bit difficult to manage without a fork and knife. Finally, she picked up a drumstick and tore the meat right off the bone with her teeth.

                Ada ate the rest of her meal with all the manners of a cave man and drained her chalice. She was feeling pretty good about life. She wiped her face with her napkin and tossed it next to the leftovers of the chicken. She leaned her chair onto its back two legs and stretched her arms over her head, sighing happily. She brought the chair back down on all four legs with a clatter and stood up, brushing herself off.

                She toddled over to her barren bookshelves. Her legs felt like noodles beneath her flowing skirt, but she made it. She turned and leaned against one of the shelves for stability, and shouted at her guards, “You may have taken my books, but I can still look at your Asgardian doo-dads!”

                Ada snatched one of the miscellaneous objects from the shelf and carried it over to the small reading desk that stood nearby. She plopped herself down in the chair to examine what she had grabbed.

                It was a small bust, about the size of the palm of her hand, of a woman with long wavy hair tumbling down her shoulders. It was made of shining orange stone; Ada thought it might be amber. The woman wore a rather mischievous smile, quite similar to Loki’s, actually. She wondered if it was perhaps a depiction of Sigyn, Loki’s wife in the Norse tales Ada was familiar with. She turned the bust over and over, but her slightly unfocused vision could find no inscription to indicate the identity of the woman.

                Where was Sigyn, anyway? Ada had heard no mention of her during her time in Asgard. She wondered if she ever visited Loki in his confinement. But, come to think of it, where was Thor’s wife Sif? Ada really hoped that Thor had not taken Jane as a mistress, or Loki would not be the only god in need of a slap.

                A quiet rap on her front door interrupted Ada’s thoughts. The einherjar stood aside as the doors slowly opened. Ada figured it was probably a maid coming to collect the remains of her lunch, and returned to examining the bust. She didn’t want to scare any other palace staff by, god forbid, looking at them.

                “…Ada?”

                Ada stood up so quickly that her chair fell over behind her. “Jane?!” she almost squealed, face cracking into a wide smile.

                Jane cautiously walked in, wary of the glaring einherjar. They immediately snapped to attention when they realized Thor was behind her. Jane was wearing an outfit similar to Ada’s, only in shades of blue and with silver armor. It complimented the long navy blue cape that Thor was wrapped in.

                Ada ran to Jane, miraculously not tripping in the process, and threw her arms around her. Their breastplates came together with a dull clunk of metal, and they both giggled at the absurdity of it all.

                Ada pulled away, wobbling a bit, which did not escape Jane’s notice. She took a deep breath of the air around her. “Jeez, Ada, you reek of mead!” she laughed.

                Ada blushed slightly, but doubted that it would be visible on her already alcohol-flushed cheeks. “Come into my living room!” She made a grand gesture and almost sent the amber bust flying from her hand. She hadn’t realized she was still holding it.

                Jane and Thor followed the direction of Ada’s arm to the long table where she had just finished her lunch. The einherjar closed the doors behind them. The girls pulled out chairs and sat next to each other, ready to quiz one another on what had gone on since they had parted the night before. However, Thor remained standing, regarding Ada curiously.

                “Why are you carrying around a bust of my mother?” he asked, raising and eyebrow.

                Ada blushed again and was fairly confident that it was noticeable this time. “Uh… well, they took my books,” she said in an unsteady voice. She didn’t really have an excuse. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes at Thor, remembering her initial questions about the identity of the bust. Inhibitions thrown to the wind, she snapped accusingly, “Where’s your wife, by the way?!”

                Jane stared at her with wide eyes, and then frowned as well, standing up and whirling to face Thor. “Your _what_?!” she said, her voice low and threatening.

                Thor was caught off guard by the sudden hostility. He glared past Jane at Ada, anger flashing in his normally cheerful eyes. “Why do you slander me so, Midgardian? What reason have you to besmirch my name to the woman I love?” The einherjar shifted at the tone of his questions, ready to defend their lord if necessary.

                Ada took no notice and continued. “Oh please! I know the myths. I don’t want you jerking Jane around anymore.” She felt like she should stand up to be on the same level as Jane and Thor to better get her point across, but her legs still felt unsteady, so she stayed seated. She faced Jane and explained, “He’s married to a harvest goddess named Sif, and-“

                She was interrupted by a snort from Thor. “Sif? My wife? She has no more desire for a husband than a bilgesnipe does for a saddle!” He laughed at his own joke, which was lost on the girls. “Fear not, my dear Jane, my heart lies only with you.” The einherjar relaxed as Thor sat down across from Ada, and Jane sank back down into her seat.

                Ada was dumbstruck. “But… why would the myths be wrong? What about Sigyn, Loki’s wife?” she asked haltingly.

                “Sigyn?” Thor thought for a moment then shook his head. “I know of no being by that name. Nor am I aware of any romantic inclinations from my brother in the past several centuries,” he said, then smiled roguishly. “He was quite infatuated with Lady Sif for a time, as I recall, although she gave him quite the rebuff. Your myths do not seem to be very accurate.” He shrugged and placed his hand on Jane’s for further reassurance. Jane smiled at him.

                Ada stuck out her jaw in frustration at being in the wrong. She plonked the bust onto the table in front of Thor and demanded, “Who’s this then?”

                “I told you before, that is a statue of my mother, Queen Frigga.” Thor smiled at the bust and picked it up gently. “She will be amused to know that her likeness is being used as decoration in the guest rooms these days!”

                Ada sighed, defeated and somewhat confused by the mythological inconsistencies. She hoped she would be able to make better sense of things when she was sober. “So, how was your day?” she asked weakly, facing Jane again.

                “You would not believe the things that Thor has shown me!” Words began to tumble from Jane’s mouth in quick succession. Ada never could quite wrap her head around Jane’s science chats at the best of times, but her inebriation made it almost impossible to follow what she was talking about. Ada was lost at the mention of a “quantum field generator” in the healing rooms, which Jane mentioned in her first breath.

                “Lady Ada, am I correctly assuming that you have finished your lunch?” Thor interjected, eyeing the remains of the chicken.

                “Yeah, go ahead,” Ada sighed, smiling, then let Jane continue her lecture. Thor proceeded to pick up the entire chicken carcass and rip a large chunk of meat off of it with his teeth. Ada watched him, fascinated by his carnivorous efficiency.

                “…and past that, there was a HUGE library,” Jane continued, ignoring Thor’s animalistic display.

                “Go on,” Ada purred, her undivided attention immediately on Jane.

                “Ha, glad I have your interest now!” Jane chuckled. “The shelves reached to the ceiling, and it was a TALL ceiling. I’ve never seen that many books in my life!”

                Ada stared at Jane with a faraway look in her eyes, trying to live vicariously through her friend. “What were they like? How old were they? Did you get to hold any of them?”

                “A lot of them were huge, like everything else seems to be here. I was able to look through a couple, but I couldn’t read them.” Jane’s expression changed to an annoyed frown as she remembered the helpless feeling of being unable to unlock the information held within the books. “Thor said that they’re written in the Alltongue and that I should be able to read them, ‘cause _apparently_ all the peoples of the universe are able to-“

                Thor nodded in confirmation, chewing loudly.

               “-but unfortunately this Alltongue is written exclusively in runes, which are not exactly my specialty. It’s driving me crazy to have the entire scientific corpus of this planet at my fingertips, but no way to study it!” Jane brought her splayed fingers up to her face dramatically.

               By this point, Ada wished more than anything she had full command of her mental faculties. What Jane was saying was a revolution in the field of linguistics, and possibly neuroscience as well; a language that could be processed by anyone would be one of the most ground breaking discoveries in the history of mankind! Ada briefly entertained thoughts of a Nobel Prize with her name on it, then tried her best to return to the present. She smiled brightly at Jane. “Aren’t you glad Loki brought me along?” she asked in a singsong tone.

               “I already was!” Jane smiled back, relieved. “But yeah, there don’t seem to be any English-to-rune books in the library, despite its size. Maybe if I brought you a children’s book or something, and you translated it to English letters-“

               “Books are forbidden in these chambers,” an einherjar suddenly boomed. Ada dropped her forehead to the table, groaning in frustration. “As are weapons, both magical and mundane. This mortal is held on suspicion of subversive sorcery by-“

               Thor swallowed and held up his hand to silence the guard. He turned to Jane, who was gazing at him with questions in her eyes. “Unfortunately, the einherjar speaks the truth. While you have free reign of the palace under my supervision, the Allfather has deemed it necessary to confine your friend to her chambers indefinitely, and without access to anything that may be used against Asgard.”

               “Seriously?” Jane looked from Thor to Ada, who still was face down on the table, and back to Thor, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. “I can’t think of someone who would be _less_ of a threat to Asgard!”

               Ada shifted her head on the table to glare at Jane. “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” she grumbled.

               “If my father has restricted her movements to such an extent, he must have a sound reason for doing so.” Thor closed his eyes and crossed his arms, indicating that he was done with the subject.

               But Jane wasn’t. “Your dad hasn’t exactly made the best decisions about prisoners lately!” Thor shot her a look, which she ignored. “Well, he hasn’t! How does Ada end up with the same prison sentence as your brother, who destroyed an entire city?! He should be chained up in a dungeon right now!”

               This conversation was obviously no longer about Ada’s freedom of movement, she noted. She sat up to listen.

               “Jane,” Thor began in a strained tone. “I told you, Loki was not himself when he attacked New York. The Tesseract was amplifying his hostilities tenfold, and when combined with his torture at the hands of the Chitauri, he can hardly be held accountable for his actions.”

 _Huh, interesting tidbit_ , Ada thought. _Maybe he_ won’t _kill me if I visit him_.

               Jane was far from satisfied. “And what about that thing he sent to kill you in New Mexico? Or was he under the influence of some other conveniently mystical object?”

               Thor winced at the memory. “We had been having some… family troubles…” He trailed off.

               “Yeah, I know if I ever argue with my family, my first reaction is to hunt them down with giant robots,” Jane said, mocking and angry.

               An awkward silence followed. Ada cleared her throat. “Ah, returning to the previous topic…” Thor looked thankful for the noise, but Jane scowled at her. “If you could get me a pen and paper, I could write out a rune-to-Latin alphabet conversion chart to help you read the books in the library.”

               This time, there was no protest from the einherjar, so she continued. “And maybe you could send a bit of extra paper? It looks like I’m going to be pretty bored until you solve the Yggdrasil problem… any progress with that, by the way?” she asked hopefully.

               Both Jane and Thor shook their heads, the argument temporarily forgotten. “Alas, no,” Thor said sadly. “For reasons unknown to us, Heimdall is unable to see Yggdrasil in any of the Nine Realms. He is currently trying to search the dark places between the realms, but that is a difficult task, even for the likes of him.”

               Ada hung her head in disappointment. “Well, Jane,” she sighed melodramatically, “looks like you’re gonna have to enjoy Asgard for the both of us, while I waste away and die from lack of mental stimulus.” As much as she wanted to tell Jane about Loki’s offer, she didn’t want the guards to catch wind of it. Best to just play the part for now.

               Jane couldn’t help but smile at Ada’s hyperbole. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. And I’ll come visit you every day!”

               “Aw, you crazy kids just enjoy yourselves!” Ada punched Jane on the shoulder playfully. “Where’s your room, by the way? Are we neighbors?”

               Jane and Thor both blushed. Avoiding eye contact, Jane stammered, “Uh, well, I’m… staying in Thor’s room…”

               Ada said nothing, but smiled lecherously and waggled her eyebrows.

               “Time to be off, I think!” Thor said abruptly, standing and backing towards the doors. “Ada, I will have paper, pen and ink sent to you as soon as possible!”

               Ada giggled at their shared embarrassment. “Thanks! It won’t take me too long to make the chart, just stop in tomorrow!”

               Jane and Ada stood and embraced, and Jane followed Thor to the now open doors. Jane waved, and Ada wiggled her fingers suggestively back. As the doors swung closed, Ada caught the beginning of a second wave of blushing. She laughed and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

               Now she just had to sober up and wait for the sun to go down. Best to have your wits about you when you’re having a midnight rendezvous with the god of mischief!

 

 

 **PS:** I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story thus far! It means so much to me to know that people are reading it and enjoying it. In particular, I’d like to thank Wyrdwoman and Lylabeth 1 for their input, I love that you guys are really engaging with it  <3

On the off-chance that anyone wants to make fanworks, feel free to post them on Tumbler with the tag Silver Tongue Golden Tongue! I have a couple of drawings there myself, and a map of Ada’s room :)

Thanks again everyone!

 **PPS:** There was originally more food description in this chapter, but I cut it for length and because it was making me hungry lol


	8. Chapter 8

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

               

 

Ada decided to do what any reasonable afternoon drunk would do in the face of an upcoming event that called for sobriety: she took a nap. Fully clothed, of course, because she didn’t quite trust herself to be able to put her armor accessories back on.

When she awoke, she was not sure how much time had passed. The sun was still up, but it was lower in the sky than when she went to sleep. She felt somewhat groggy, but she wasn’t certain if the cause was the lingering effects of the mead or intergalactic jet lag (wormhole lag?). Ada wondered what the Asgardian method of timekeeping was- their ships possessed jet engines, so surely clocks were not beyond their technological reach. But Asgard was a strange place; despite obvious advancements in other areas, the einherjar still carried swords and spears.

Ada delicately removed herself from her bed, unsure about the state of her sense of balance. She found her legs to be much more stable than before, although standing was giving her a headache. She adjusted her dress and breastplate (which was actually quite comfortable to sleep in- it _must_ be enchanted) and made her way to the bathroom to get herself a drink.

  _Jane was certainly right about everything being big here_ , Ada thought as she entered the bathroom. She had been in it that morning but did not get to explore the room fully, as Drifa was waiting to help her get dressed at the time. The sink basin was wide but shallow, more for looks than for utility. Other fixtures were located behind a half wall, including a shower area and a grand stone and gold bathtub. Ada selected a small silver cup from beside the sink and filled it from the tap. The palace benefitted from running water, hot and cold, although she thought the Asgardians might have a more magical explanation for how everything functioned.

Ada drank her cup of water and filled it up again. Exiting the bathroom, she glanced out the window at the sparkling city, but resisted the urge to go outside to better enjoy it. She didn’t want to accidently run into Loki again… that would be an awkward conversation. “Yeah, so, I’m excited to come visit you tonight, since I’ve reasoned that you’re probably not going to kill me! Really looking forward to it!”

Ada’s stomach did a flip-flop at the thought, and she turned from the windows to go into her living room. It was going to be difficult not to stress herself silly before the sun set.

When she opened the door, though, it was like Christmas morning: on the table, in place of her lunch platter, sat several objects wrapped in blue fabric embroidered with a subtle damask pattern. Her previous worries all but forgotten, Ada excitedly slid into one of the chairs without pulling it out, her breastplate knocking against the table.

One of the packages was square-ish, one was small and round, and the last was thin and oblong. She pulled the square one to her first, tugging at the ribbon that held the material wrapping in place.

“A gift from Prince Thor,” one of the einherjar declared, causing Ada to almost jump out of her chair in shock.

She looked up at them but was unable to tell which one had spoken. “Th-thank you,” she quietly said, trying to direct her words at both of them. When she received nothing but silence in return, she sighed and returned to her gifts.

She gently unfolded the fabric around the square package to reveal, as she had suspected, a large stack of paper. She picked up a sheet and rubbed it between her fingers, grinning. It was soft, almost cottony; it felt like the pages of an antique book.

Ada laid the sheet back on the pile and opened the other two parcels. The round one turned out to be a (heavily embellished) pot of ink, and the long one was a bundle of several elegant feather quills. She suddenly felt like a well-equipped medieval scribe.

She gathered her new toys and carried them back to her bedroom, where there was a small round table. She was already getting a bit tired of the “avoid the einherjar” game; what was the point of having a living room if you were going to have two soldiers staring at you the whole time you were in there?

She arranged her tools on the table and removed the lid from the bottle of ink. She dipped the tip of a quill into it, and drew a swirl on the first sheet of paper as a test. She then wrote her name, to see how she could handle letters. The quill was surprisingly smooth and maneuverable- when Ada had taken calligraphy class in school, she didn’t remember it being this easy. _Probably enchanted_ , she thought to herself.

She selected a fresh piece of paper and set to work on Jane’s rune chart.

*************

 

Ada drew in the finishing touches on a border in the style of the knotwork designs around her room. This was the most decorative linguistic chart in the history of linguistic charts. She had even written Jane’s name in (crude) calligraphy across the top of the page, along with an overly detailed title.

The light was really starting to fade outside now, and the faint silhouettes of the moon-planets were becoming visible. Ada stared out the window with some trepidation at the change.

When dinner came, she only picked at it, despite it being an even larger potion than she received at lunch. She was particularly careful not to overdo it with the mead.

By the time she was finished, it could properly be called evening. As the last sliver of sun fell below the horizon, Ada’s front door swung open suddenly and the same maids from that morning filed in. They went around her and moved straight to the bedroom to close the curtains and… whatever else it was they did.

Drifa lingered next to Ada at the table. “I have been commanded to assist with your undress, my lady,” she said looking down at her, seemingly devoid of emotion.

Ada was temporarily mortified at the thought of greeting Loki in her pajamas (although he apparently did not have the same reservations). She scrambled to make up an excuse. “Oh, uh, I can handle this part! I, uh, want to figure it out for myself, so you don’t need to help me in the future!”

Drifa looked unimpressed. “But it would be simpler if I were to show you-“

“Nope! Nope, I’m fine! Thanks though!” Ada quickly scooted her chair back and scurried to her bedroom. She liked Drifa despite her cold exterior, and felt a little bad turning down her help. She was the only Asgardian (besides Loki and Thor) that would interact with her, even if it was just under orders.

Speaking of which, the maids were none too pleased with Ada’s sudden appearance in the bedroom. They emanated that same mixture of fear and disgust that Ada had encountered that morning. She decided to go sit by the fire while they finished their duties so she didn’t disturb them further. She made a mental note to ask Thor about the reason for their attitude when she saw him and Jane next. Or perhaps she could ask Loki later…

Ada felt her face flush in response to her afterthought. She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to calm her nerves. It was still early, there was still time to back out…

As the maids left, the room fell silent except for the crackling of the fire. With the curtains closed, Ada felt a bit more free to wander around the room, as there was no longer a danger of gods peeking in. Not that there really was to begin with, as her room was surrounded by a force field, but it was the principle of the thing.

She paced the floor nervously, waiting for time to pass. She opened both of her wardrobes and looked through them meticulously, although she was so preoccupied she couldn’t appreciate the beauty of their contents. She sat at the dressing table in front of the mirror and fidgeted with her hair, even though it was already laying just the way she wanted it.

Realizing how absurdly she was acting, Ada groaned in annoyance at herself. She stood up and marched over to the adjoining doors. She had no idea what time it was, if she was maybe too late or too early, or if she was walking into some sort of a trap, but damnit, she was going to knock on that door.

She again used her pinky to pull open her own door and reached out to tap on the one behind it. She froze just before her hand met the wood, but took a deep breath, and knocked three times.

Ada’s mind raced as seconds went by with no answer. When the door finally began to open, she thought she might faint (again) from excitement. The feeling reminded her that, yeah, it really WAS thrilling to be in Asgard! And even if things went in the “murder” direction, that would be one hell of a way to go, at least.

So, when the door opened completely and Loki stepped into full view, Ada was smiling with pure pleasure. Whatever expression he had been wearing before he encountered her face was wiped right off, and he looked almost shocked at her joyful manner.

He was so taken aback that Ada was able to slip in a verbal jab before he had the chance to. “Good evening! I hope I’m not overdressed for the occasion.”

That brought Loki back to his regular self. He glared daggers at her, but then his usual smirk reemerged. “Oh, and here I was prepared to meet a simple mortal. I was not expecting such a…” he looked her up and down and sneered, “ _paragon_ of Asgardian fashion such as yourself. I’m only glad you are no longer wearing that dreadful excuse of a seeress costume.” He placed his hands behind his back and turned around sharply so his back was to Ada. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled and arched an eyebrow. “Coming?”

Ada steeled herself and stepped over the threshold between their rooms. She didn’t walk straight into a shield, which she saw as an early positive sign. But it was strange; why had they put a shield around her balcony, seemingly MILES off the ground, and not between her room and the one next door?

Hearing her take just one step and stop, Loki turned to see what the delay was. Catching Ada’s slightly puzzled expression, he asked sourly, “Is it so overwhelming to be in my chambers? I must have overestimated your Midgardian sensibilities.”

“Huh? Oh no, I’m not-“ Ada frowned as the insult sunk in. She quickly silenced whatever not-so-clever comeback that threatened to burst forth, and instead asked, “How is there not a shield between our rooms? I thought I was basically in prison!”

“There _is_ ,” Loki grinned, pleased with himself. “Though not a very strong one. Quite easily dealt with. Odin must not think very highly of you.” He kept walking deeper into his room.

Ada was torn between being impressed at his exploits and rolling her eyes. She cast one last look at her room through the doorway and followed behind Loki. To her left, a fire roared in a golden corner-mounted fireplace, and the view ahead was what she had spied through the keyhole- the huge bed, the bookshelf. She smiled to herself when she noticed a small platform that stretched the length of the bed, sort of like a step- she was right, Loki couldn’t get into bed on his own.

She followed him to the right around a curved corner and down a short, wide hallway with doors at the end of it. As Loki began to push the doors open, Ada froze again. “Ah, wait!” she squeaked quietly. “What about your guards?”

Loki sighed in exasperation at yet another interruption. “Why in the Nine Realms would I have guards _in_ my room?” he said, walking through without further discussion.

“I don’t know, I have them in mine…” Ada grumbled, falling back in step behind him.

Loki chuckled. “Well, you are quite the unfortunate captive aren’t you?”

After coming through the doors, they turned left, and Ada could immediately see how much bigger his room was. A seating area with pillows and a fountain, somewhat similar to her own, was straight ahead, but both elements were easily twice the size of the ones in her room. Behind them was what could only be described as a dining hall, complete with a long table and a dozen chairs.

Two large statues, each covered in a sheet, stood on either side of the wide hallway they were about to enter. Although she couldn’t see the statues’ faces, she noticed a carved mjolnir sitting at the feet of one. She wrinkled her nose in amusement. “I thought you and Thor didn’t get along…?”

Loki whipped his head around, his eyes flashing green with anger. “I do not need your commentary on every little thing in my room, girl!” he snapped. He watched as Ada’s face morphed from amused to slightly frightened, and he smiled darkly. Interestingly, though, behind the fright, there was a spark of indignation. He decided to reward it.

Facing front, he began to walk once again. “The statues became part of my décor only after my imprisonment. My…“ he paused almost imperceptibly in both his speech and gait, “… _father_ perhaps intended for them to remind me of my place. Though, I find I prefer them covered.”

They were now walking along a shallow rectangular pool that ran the length of the hallway. “Who, Laufey*?” Ada asked with some disbelief. “I didn’t know he was on good enough terms with the Aesir to-“

Suddenly Loki was upon her, grasping her arms tightly with his cold hands. He seemed to tower over her, and despite his state of undress, he looked every inch the god that Ada believed him to be. His eyes blazed a mixture of blue and green in the dim light of the hallway. “ _What do you know of my parentage?!_ ” he hissed.

Ada flinched under his grip and stared up into his wild eyes. Eventually she choked out, “I-I-I just know what I’ve read and what I was told when I was little, that you’re a jotun and the son of the frost giants, Loki Laufeyson!” She could feel herself shaking from the inside out, and his hold on her tightened.

Then, just as abruptly as he grabbed her, Loki let her go. Ada stumbled backwards, crossing her arms over her chest to rub the bruises that would surely be appearing soon. She was scared and hurt, both physically and emotionally; her eyes darted about, looking for a plan of escape.

Loki sighed at her reaction and cast his eyes down, somewhat sadly, to the water in the pool. This was not the violent follow up that Ada had been expecting. She peered at him curiously and waited for his next move.

“These… stories that you mention, are they well known by Midgardians?” he asked without looking up.

Ada narrowed her eyes, unsure of where this conversation was going. “Among people of my academic persuasion, yeah. They’re the myths of the Norse, and the peoples before them… not many modern people know them now, though, except maybe the Scandinavians.”

Loki breathed another, heavier sigh and kept his eyes on the water. “Even the damned Midgardians knew…” he mumbled.

 _Now who’s sighing away all the air in Asgard_ , Ada wanted to say, but held back. “Am I… missing something?” she asked cautiously. “From what I heard from Thor, the myths I know don’t seem to quite line up with reality.”

Loki’s eyes met hers once more, a light green now. He smiled cynically and bent down, scooping up a handful of water from the pool. “Oh, but this one does,” he said, as his hand turned blue, causing the water to immediately harden into jagged ice crystals.

Ada was mystified by the change, watching as his hand returned to its normal color; he shook the ice back into the pool. “Then… you call Odin your father? And Thor your brother? I thought that was just a term of endearment when you said it before…”

“Indeed, we were raised as brothers, with Odin as my father and Frigga my mother,” he stared into space, allowing himself to reminisce. His expression soon turned gloomy. “I only recently discovered my true heritage, and my status as a mere bargaining chip in Odin’s infernal political schemes. “ He smirked then. “This revelation rather influenced my… actions in your realm. I have nothing against your race personally, but Midgardians are by far the simplest people in all the Nine Realms, and were therefore quite the tempting target for my rage.”

 _Ah, he must be feeling better now_ , Ada thought to herself, pursing her lips. She resolved to push him for more information. “Thor said something about when you destroyed New York, that you weren’t exactly yourself-“

Loki’s eyebrows knitted for a moment, a hint of trepidation ghosting across his face, but it was quickly disguised it under another smirk. “My mind was… temporarily marred by the Chitauri’s leader and his manipulation of the power of the Tessaract.” When he looked up, his eyes were a brilliant blue. He took several steps towards Ada, until he was only inches away from her. She could feel his cool breath on her face. “I still carry the scars. Does it _frighten_ you, girl? Do you worry about what I’ll do next?”

Ada took a step back. “It… has crossed my mind, yeah,” she said through gritted teeth.

Loki backed away as well, his eyes fading back to green and the mischievous light returning to his face. “And rightly so!” he almost sang. He spun on his heel and continued down the hallway, his bare feet slapping the marble floor.

Ada hesitated, but followed him, against her better judgment. The whole “dying in the name of research” thing was looking less fun by the second.

The hallway seemed to end in a doorway ahead, and Ada could see a fire burning in the room beyond. However, as they approached what she thought were two walls on either side of the door, she realized that they were in fact colossal bookshelves. She gawked at them, mouth hanging open.

Loki, anticipating her reaction, called, “Don’t waste your energy out there, those are all books of political drivel and others that are not worthy of my main library. Now, prepare yourself to be dazzled!”

Dazzled was the exact word Ada would have chosen to describe her feeling upon entering the space. It was almost the size of her bedroom next door, and was lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves except for a small gap straight ahead where there was a window. A fire burned in a round pit in the center of the room, and a desk and two chairs were positioned on the other side of it. Loki was standing in front of the fire, arms crossed, looking very pleased with himself.

“It’s like _Beauty and the Beast_ …” Ada gasped, letting her gaze wander around the room.

“ _Pardon_?” Loki choked, frowning.

Ada blushed, realizing how non sequitur that sounded. “Sorry, it’s a movie… er, well, a fable, I guess,” she tried to put it into more Asgardian terms. “There are books involved.”

Loki regarded her suspiciously for a moment, then turned to regard the books as well. “This is my personal collection. It’s much more focused than the palace’s main library, and I daresay features more rare volumes.”

The spines were covered in beautifully rendered runes, which Ada began to read. _A Brief History of Elven Magic, The Annotated Elder Scrolls, Architectural Spells_ … wait. Not only could she read the runes, but they seemed to be translating directly into English. She glanced at Loki in surprise, then turned back to the books. “The Alltongue…” she murmured in wonder.

Loki stood next to her, following her path of vision. “You know of it?” he asked, grinning.

“Jane mentioned it before, but this is my first time seeing it in person…” Ada trailed off. She reached out and ran her index finger down the wide spine of _An Encyclopedia of Rune-Based Spells_. Laughing, she looked back at Loki. “I don’t know where to start, I’m absolutely overwhelmed!”

Loki’s next smile was, surprisingly, quite genuine. “You may return tomorrow night as well, if you wish.”

Ada was temporarily taken aback by Loki’s apparently sincere offer. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Loki chuckled at her reaction. “This is not a trick, nor is it a trap, though I know you thought it was both before you came tonight.”

Ada withdrew her hand from the books and kept her eyes on Loki, sensing some hidden motivation from the god. “What is it, then? Trying to educate someone of an inferior realm because you feel bad for unleashing an alien army on them?”

“I would not simplify it to that extent, no,” Loki looked away and smirked. “My reasons are my own, but know that I mean no harm to you.”

Ada stared at him for a moment, deadpan. Loki could deny malevolence all he wanted, but his mythological track record was not exactly spotless. Really though, what else was she going to do for the rest of her imprisonment? Stare at the einherjar?

She smiled at him, playing along for the moment. “So, do you have any good history books I could start with?”

 

 

*Yes, in actual Norse mythology, Laufey is Loki’s mother, not his father. But for continuity’s sake, I’ll be sticking with Marvel’s daddy Laufey.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 **Author’s note II** : Sorry for the lack of an update last week, Christmas kind of snuck up on me! Hopefully I’ll be back to updating once a week now!

               

                “I see you weren’t quite successful in your disrobing aims last night,” Drifa said, looking down her nose scornfully at Ada.

                Ada sat on the edge of her bed, still dressed. When she finally returned to her room the night before, she was far too tired to even make an effort to remove the complex Asgardian outfit. She’d only gotten maybe three hours of sleep before the maid brigade had arrived for the morning’s chores. She peered at Drifa blankly through bleary eyes weighed down by heavy bags.

                Drifa closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, annoyed by Ada’s lack of response. “It was against my better judgment to leave you last night, and now I see I was correct. It is abundantly obvious that you still require my assistance in matters of your wardrobe. Now, on your feet my lady, and turn around…”

                Drifa deftly removed Ada’s armor accessories, as well as her pink and green dress. Ada was far too sleepy to feel any sort of immodesty at being undressed in front of the other maids, and shuffled to the bathroom after Drifa put her pajama dress back on. “I’ll be waiting,” she called after Ada.

                Ada stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, slowly beginning to process what a mess she looked. She had avoided the shower up till now, just out of laziness; the controls confounded her, given the fact that they didn’t seem to exist. But, she figured she could put it off no longer.

                She undressed and stepped into what appeared to be a large shower cubicle with high marble walls. She immediately felt stupid, standing there naked with no idea how to get the thing to work; she couldn’t even see a shower head. Maybe this was not a shower after all, and was just some sort of changing room… after all, there was a tub. But then, there were several small bottles in an alcove in one of the walls that looked a lot like cleaning liquids. She grabbed a couple of the bottles and decided to try to take a bath instead.

                Ada was about to walk out of the cubicle when, suddenly, water began to fall from the sky. No, not from the sky- from tiny holes in the ceiling above her head. She closed her eyes, grateful that Asgardian domestic technology seemed focused on enabling its users to be as lazy as possible. She let the water, as varied as raindrops but with more pressure, wash over her and recalled the events of the night before.

                There were no further incidents after the issue about Loki’s parentage, although he got frustrated a couple of times at the “extreme Midgardian impudence” (his words, not hers) of her questions. Ada could uncover no more of his motivations for being so oddly social with her, and she only got a repeated offer for another visit in trying to subtly get the information out of him.

                As she washed her hair, she pondered the books Loki lent her: an Asgardian history book, an encyclopedic history of all the Nine Realms, and, at his insistence, what amounted to “Baby’s First Book of Spells”. Loki had cast what he called a “selective invisibility” spell on all three volumes- this apparently prevented the books from being visible to people who were not Ada or Loki. The idea seemed too much even for Asgardian standards of magic-technology though, so she stashed them under her bed just in case. She hoped the maids didn’t clean under there.

                Despite the hours they spent together, Ada had not yet gotten around to asking Loki about the Asgardian use of Proto Norse. She felt pretty guilty about it, really. She could be sure that Jane was quizzing every Asgardian in sight about their technological advancements, and here she was, completely preoccupied with the acquisition of books.

                Ada felt refreshed but slightly depressed when she emerged from the shower. She dried herself with an oversized, incredibly fluffy towel, and then wrapped it around her body. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, at the dark circles under her eyes, and hung her head, sighing. She wasn’t entirely sure where this general sense of malaise came from, but it sure was pervasive.

                She emerged from the bathroom in her underdress to find that all the maids except Drifa had gone. She was waiting for Ada by the wardrobes and, as usual, wore an expression that could better be described as a lack of one. “Thanks for waiting,” Ada said, making her way over to the armor wardrobe.

                Drifa stared at her for a moment but did not respond. She instead opened the doors of both wardrobes and asked, “What would you like to wear today, my lady?”

                Ada stifled a yawn as she examined the many options. “I uh… I guess…” she hesitated as she ran her hand through the row of beautiful dresses. Her eyes were feeling heavy again. “What do you suggest?”

               Drifa looked at her suspiciously out of the corner of her eye and turned back to the open wardrobe. “At this time of year, a purple would be suitable for-“ She was interrupted by another yawn from Ada. She stepped back and faced her, frowning. “My lady, do you suffer from an ailment? I have been warned about the delicate temperament of Midgardians, and you have not seemed well today. Do you require a healer?”

               Ada was surprised by the question, and what appeared to be concern from Drifa. “N-no, I’m fine, sorry,” she blushed and turned away. “I just stayed up too late last night, uh, writing up some stuff…” she trailed off. She recognized how familiar that excuse sounded and realized that she hadn’t felt this tired since graduate school. She smiled slightly.

              The smile did not escape Drifa’s notice, and her knitted eyebrows relaxed. “Do tell me if you begin to feel unwell. I do not particularly want to come into your room some morning to find a corpse.”

               Ada’s smile widened at Drifa’s mixture of worry and annoyance. “Thanks, I’d hate for you to be inconvenienced in such a way,” she said playfully.

               Drifa nodded, her face stern. “I’m glad you understand, my lady,” she said without a hint of amusement in her voice.

               Ada giggled quietly. “So, purple you say? Would a bronze breastplate go well with that?”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Lunch arrived in much the same fashion as it had the day before; from her room, Ada heard the front door open and close, and when she emerged, a mass of food was waiting.

                After she was done eating, she stared thoughtfully into her half-full cup of mead. She wondered if it was rude to not finish it. _Oh well_ , she thought, _I didn’t drink all of it at dinner, and I didn’t seem to cause any inter-planetary crisis…_

                Although Ada was comfortable referring to Asgard as another planet, she still thought of Thor, Odin, Loki, and everyone else as mythological figures, an identity set apart from the extraterrestrials they obviously were. The image of Loki’s hand, jotun blue, flashed through her mind; that was the sort of alien she had always imagined, some strangely-colored thing that was vaguely humanoid, not the community of universally attractive people that seemed to inhabit the palace.

                Almost as if on cue, the front doors creaked open, and Thor’s glorious form stepped in, followed by Jane. “Good morrow, Aðalrun!” he crowed, obviously in a good mood. The einherjar closed the doors behind them. He turned to them in response to the sound of the doors being shut and held up his hand. “That will not be necessary, I will be leaving momentarily.” As the einherjar reopened the doors, he faced Ada again. She stood as Jane walked over to her. “Jane, I shall not be long. Have fun!” Thor said, his cape swooshing dramatically as he walked out.

                Ada stared after him until the einherjar again closed the doors, then looked at Jane. “Did you just get dropped off for a playdate?” she asked, her speech broken by giggles.

                Jane snorted. “Yeah, I think that just happened.”

                “C’mon, let’s go into the other room. It freaks me out talking in front of these guys,” Ada said, nodding at the einherjar. She walked towards her bedroom door and ushered Jane through, closing it behind them.

                “Ah, is that my rune chart?” Jane practically ran to the table it was sitting on and picked it up. As she examined it and the decorative doodles adorning it, she laughed and glanced at Ada. “Get a bit bored, did we?”

                Ada joined her next to the table, smiling wryly. “Yeah, you could say that. The guards aren’t really ones for conversation.” She pulled out a chair and plopped down, yawning. She was feeling pretty tired again.

                Jane swung a chair around next to her and sat as well. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands, staring at Ada. “You look like crap,” she finally said.

                “Gee, thanks,” Ada grumbled. “Stayed up too late last night.”

                “Not on my account, I hope! I really didn’t need all the art and calligraphy…” Jane looked slightly worried.

                Ada smiled and shook her head. “No, I was-“ she stopped dead. She hadn’t thought of an ACTUAL excuse for her tiredness, and she wasn’t sure how Jane would react to her socializing with a noted criminal. “Busy?” she said weakly.

                Jane narrowed her eyes suspiciously, keen to get in on any secrets. “Busy? But you just said you were bored.”

                “I know, I just…” Ada sighed. “I can’t really… explain right now, but I was… busy.” _That is a terrible excuse_ , she thought, _She’s never gonna buy that…_

                Jane looked at her in silence for a moment, then said cheerfully, “Okay, well, I’ve got loads of news about the whole Ragnarok thing!”

                Ada smiled, relieved at the lack of questions. “Has Heimdall seen Yggdrasil yet?”

                Jane pulled a face and looked down. “No, not that I’ve heard, and it’s causing quite a bit of concern. Odin called some sort of tribunal about the fire jotuns, which is why Thor’s so happy,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m literally not allowed to leave our room without him, so I asked if I could stay with you while he’s there. It’s really frustrating having a chaperone, I feel like I’m in middle school again.” Jane frowned.

                “Well I feel like a grounded child,” Ada said sullenly, resting her cheek on one hand. “Please, tell me more news of the outside world.”

                Jane grinned, obviously excited to relay her information to Ada. “Last night, Odin called Thor to his quarters, and Thor brought me along, which Odin was… unhappy about…” she winced. “But! He brought out this ENORMOUS book, written all in gold, and showed us the Ragnarok prophecy! You would have loved it!”

                Indeed, Ada was mentally salivating at the idea. “Did he tell you what it said?” she asked breathlessly.

                Jane rubbed her chin, recalling what she had seen. “Not in detail, I think he kind of summarized. Something about roosters and Heimdall blowing a horn to warn of the invasion of fire jotuns.” She paused to further collect her thoughts. “Somehow Odin gets eaten by a wolf, I didn’t quite get that. But, more importantly, the prophecy makes no mention of any matters of the heart, as Thor told Gerðr.”

                “Well I could’ve told you that much,” Ada remarked smartly. She quickly regretted her words. Last time she tried to show off her mythological knowledge to Jane, she ended up accusing Thor of adultery. “That is… uh, that pretty much lines up with what I know.”

                Jane nodded in acknowledgement. “Thor and Odin figure that Gerðr was just lying about any knowledge of the prophecy to kidnap me for ransom or something. But really, the way Odin explained it, the whole thing seems pretty vague, and there’s no reference to tree abduction. In all honesty, I don’t put too much stock in it… I don’t care how technologically advanced Asgard is, they can’t tell the future.”

                “Weirdly enough, in the myths, a Midgardian volva was the one who gave Odin the prophecy,” Ada said offhandedly. “There’s a lot of future-telling throughout Norse mythology, and it always ends up being accurate one way or another. But, as we’ve seen, real life Asgard seems to be different in some key ways from what I’m familiar with.”

                “Well, Thor and Odin are taking it pretty seriously, regardless of how much truth there is in it,” Jane sighed. “It sounds a lot like they want to go to war.”

                The girls sat in silence for a moment in reaction to the gravity of the statement. Ada bit her lip and finally asked, “Has Thor mentioned what that might mean for stranded Midgardians?”

                Jane’s shoulders slumped. “Not expressly, but from the way he talks about how Heimdall hasn’t found the tree yet, and the fact that there seems to be an inter-planetary war brewing, I don’t think we’ll be heading home anytime soon.”

                “Huh…” Ada stared at the table, unsure of what else to say. She was quite conflicted; although she had no family that would take notice of her absence, she was so close to earning her doctorate that she could taste it. She wondered if an unscheduled and unexplained disappearance would put that in jeopardy. But, then again, “anytime soon” for an Asgardian might be centuries- being disqualified for her doctorate would be a moot point if she was dead by the time everything was resolved, whether from the coming of Ragnarok or old age.

                “Yeah,” Jane said, leaning her face back on her hands. “Looks like I’ll have quite a bit of time to learn the runic alphabet and hit the books.”

                Ada reflexively stuck out her tongue in jealousy. “And what am I supposed to do? Take up knitting?” It immediately occurred to her, though, that she actually had quite a lot to do: her neighbor was similarly confined and terribly interesting, and apparently not averse to regular visits.

                Jane chuckled. “You could always make friends with your guards!”

                Ada looked away, her face sour, but her mind racing. “Nah, I think I’ll take up knitting.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

 

Thor was in a similarly bouncy mood when he returned to retrieve Jane from Ada’s room. They left with a promise to visit again the next day, but Thor didn’t drop any hints about any upcoming military campaigns.

The moment the doors shut, Ada was on her way to an afternoon nap, once again keeping her armor and clothes on. She ran through potential questions for Loki in her mind until she drifted off.

When she awoke, she could immediately feel the good the nap did for her. She hopped out of bed and felt around under it for one of her books, pulling out the first one her hand came to rest on. It was the book of easy spells, aptly titled _Simple Magic for the Young_.

She thought about stashing it back under the bed and retrieving one of the other two more interesting books, but, out of curiosity, she quickly flipped through the thin volume. It was written in large, bold runes, obviously for young Asgardian readers, and accompanied by stiff illustrations of people making certain motions to go along with the spells. Ada smiled, amused by how the format of children’s books was apparently (literally) universal.

She was particularly entranced by something called “the star spell” which, according to the image next to the instructions, created a small constellation in the hand of the caster. She absentmindedly made the hand motion indicated by the picture, and pondered if the magic words (called an “activation phrase” in the text) should be uttered in English or Proto Norse. Yet another thing to ask Loki. She should really start writing all this stuff down.

Ada went back under the bed and dug out the other books, lugging them to the table and dropping them with a thump. She froze, instantly regretting her action and praying the einherjar didn’t come rushing in at the distinctive sound of book meeting wood. When nothing happened after about a minute, she settled in to study.

Before she knew it, she had taken about five pages of notes from the history of the Nine Realms, paying specific attention to the Asgardian account of the history of Midgard. Interestingly, the book was very detailed about the early history of humanity, but seemed to thin out around what Ada estimated to be the 12th century. She based her estimate on mentions of the Midgardians becoming “lax in their worshipful practices” which she assumed correlated with the rise of Christianity. Apparently, the Asgardians decided to be less involved on Midgard after that, which Ada speculated contributed to the further decline in popularity of Norse paganism.

This was world-altering stuff; contained within this single book was the reason for the period of warmth before the Little Ice Age (a jotun attack on Midgard was put down by an Asgardian army), an explanation of several notable comet sightings (the loss of bits of armor or supplies being carried by soldiers when traveling via bifrost), and the origin of mead (apparently the god Kvasir and two dwarven brothers invented it, contrary to the rather violent Norse myth featuring the same individuals). If this information were to make it back to earth, large chunks of history books would have to be entirely rewritten, and new light would be shed on many other events from the past.

Ada stared at the book for a while, not really seeing it. Her sense of malaise from earlier in the morning slowly crept back in, and was soon at the forefront of her thoughts. When and if she and Jane returned to earth, how would they and their new information be received? Would they be welcomed as reformers, or denounced as crazy? Once again, she felt incredibly overwhelmed and out of her depth, and tried to push the “what ifs” from her mind.

She decided to take a break from studying and stuffed her notes in between the pages of her book. After stashing it and the other volume back under the bed, she paced the room slowly, trying to think of something to occupy her worried mind.

She decided to organize her Asgardian clothing by color, and made quick work of it. She was satisfied by the orderly rainbow of dresses that now greeted her when she opened her wardrobe door, but still needed something to do. She wandered into her living room and strolled along the bookshelves… well, not bookshelves anymore, due to their lack of books. She picked up and examined several knickknacks from the shelves, smiling at the bust of Frigga.

Ada strolled back into her bedroom and opened her French doors. She pulled one of the wooden chairs from her table onto the balcony and sat down, kicking her feet up on the railing. It was only after her bare toe contacted the invisible shield that she remembered it was there, and moved her chair back accordingly.

She looked to her right out of the corner of her eye, just in case Loki had seen her make a fool of herself yet again, but there was no sign of him on his neighboring balcony. Ada sighed out of either relief or disappointment; she wasn’t sure which. She turned her gaze to the hundreds of glittering buildings that made up the city as the sun sank at a snail’s pace.

Eventually, Ada heard dinner arrive, and pulled her chair back inside, casting one more furtive glance at Loki’s balcony.

She made a point of eating dinner as slowly as possible, and only just finished as Drifa and the maids arrived to do their chores before bedtime. Ada was thankful for the mental stimulation, even if it was extremely difficult to convince Drifa to let her have another go at solo undressing. Ultimately, she conceded, but only on the terms that she at least be allowed to remove Ada’s breastplate.

As the maids made their exodus from her room, Ada stretched out on the couch in front of her fireplace. _Still so much time to kill_ … she thought, fidgeting with the pillows. As she stared into the dancing fire, it occurred to her that it had not been stoked once since she had been in residence, although the fireplace appeared to contain real wood. It even crackled and shifted, unlike the faux wood in the gas fireplaces she was used to. She glared at it, suddenly and inexplicably resentful of the fact that Asgardians used magic for damn near everything.

Ada flopped over to lie on her back. She scowled at the ceiling, which she had never taken particular notice of before; it was a series of complex circular shapes, intertwined to look almost like cogs in some sort of a strange and extremely beautiful machine. She let her eyes drift through the patterns, becoming lost in them, her tense feelings melting away.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Ada woke with a start and coughed, somewhat confused. She coughed again and looked around; she must have snored herself awake.

Her stomach dropped as she realized that she had fallen asleep waiting to visit Loki. As usual, she had no way of gauging how long she had been asleep, and hoped against hope that it wasn’t some horrible hour of the morning. Asgard really needed some clocks.

Ada fumbled her way out of the deep pillows of the couch and scooted on her bare feet to the connecting door, throwing it open and taking a small step into the narrow space between the rooms. She knocked three times on Loki’s door, not allowing herself time to be nervous.

Loki took longer to answer the knocks than he had the night before, and, from his rather understated mischievous expression, looked as if he had perhaps been asleep as well. “Hm, I almost thought I had scared you away,” he said in his characteristically silky voice, controlling his tone to not reflect any surprise at her presence. “By the way, I love what you’ve done with your hair,” he added flippantly, turning his back to Ada and walking into his room without so much as inviting her in.

Ada instinctively felt her head with her hand, finding that the entire right side of her hair had been molded into several disorganized flips and spikes. She blushed and did what she could to smooth them down without retreating back to her room to check the mirror. _Way to go_ , she thought, _visit the god with bedhead_ … She nervously followed Loki into his room.

Loki was already nearly at his bedroom door, and Ada had to walk quickly to catch up. She could only assume they were returning to his library, as he had not said anything since his quip about her hair. He opened his door with somewhat of a flourish and strode into the next room. However, instead of turning left for the library, Loki continued straight ahead to his fountain-centered round couch. He alighted on the edge of it before relaxing into the pillows almost seductively, his legs sprawled open in a pose of dominance. He casually threw one arm over the back of the couch, and beckoned to Ada with his other hand.

Ada’s mind had come to a complete stop. If she were a cartoon character, she was sure steam would be rising from her ears. As Loki continued to wave her over, seemingly in slow motion, she remembered to breathe, and very ungracefully stumbled towards the couch. Her face was hot, prickling with blush; she sat just about as far away from him as she possibly could, perching on the extreme edge of the couch. She thought uneasily about Loki’s mythological reputation for using his charm to get what he wanted.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her odd demeanor, but shrugged almost imperceptibly after a moment and closed his eyes. “Tell me about yourself, Aðalrun,” he purred sleepily.

Ada opened and closed her mouth several times, at a total loss for words. This was _not_ how she pictured the night going… however this night was going. She was pretty confused at the moment. “Uh, me? Are you sure?” she finally managed to get out. “B-but I’m not that interesting…”

Loki opened one eye and looked at her. “Of that I am fairly certain,” he said, a shade of annoyance coloring his words. “But, I am bored. Shall we see if your story is more fascinating than waiting for hours to receive a guest for a pre-arranged meeting?”

Ada simultaneously glared and blushed. “You never exactly said _when_ to knock on your door, just that it should be late at night. And how the hell do you tell what time it is here, anyway?!” she spat, crossing her arms. She certainly felt guilty about keeping Loki waiting, but she was sure he would verbally exploit any admission of weakness on her part.

Loki made a broad gesture with his free hand. “Celestial dials by the windows. Hadn’t you noticed them? I think them hard to miss, though I’m sure my vision is more discerning than yours.”

With that last dig, Ada had completely recovered her wits from the suggestiveness of his manner of sitting. She had no idea how to reply; she felt like she’d been over every corner of her room a thousand times in her boredom, and she couldn’t recall anything remotely clock-like. She scowled at the fountain burbling peacefully, quietly seething, and kept Loki’s relaxed form in her peripheral vision.

“So?” Loki broke the silence, not opening his eyes. “Regale me with the story of your short Midgardian life.”

Ada bit back another irritated response and tried to think of where to start. She’d never really spoken about herself in any depth to anyone before… it was kind of a broad thing to ask someone about, really. “Well, uh… I was born in Minnesota… that’s a state in a country called the United States of America, it’s up north…” she began, only to be cut short by Loki.

“I’m not so bored that I need to know specific place names,” he waved dismissively. “Tell me your _story_.”

Ada was once again at a loss. It seemed Loki expected some sort of tale, a bedtime story almost. _Okay_ , she thought, _I’m a linguist with a mythology obsession, I can weave words with the best of them_. She began again.

“Generations ago, in the land the Vikings once called their home, a baby boy was born to an unwed mother. Her village was ashamed of the disgrace she brought to her community and cast her out into the unforgiving winter. She crossed the ocean in order to create a better life for herself and her son, and found employment as a fish maid by the shores of a vast, cold lake. Her son grew up speaking not only the language of his native land, but that of his new home as well; when he entered school, he found that he had quite a talent for it. He became a translator for the government, and met and married a politician’s daughter. Sent away to war, he returned home to find his mother had died from a widespread illness, and his wife was sick with the same infection. He never left her bedside, and read her novels every day; her doctors said his mere presence was what cured her.

Soon, they had a child of their own- a daughter, who possessed the same golden tongue as her father. She was known as the kindest woman in town, and when her father entertained foreign dignitaries they were always impressed by her intelligence. It was no surprise when she married one of those dignitaries, a handsome man from her grandmother’s country.

From their union came my father, who was more talented in the language of machines than of men. He was an engineer that created pathways for mechanical communication, as was my mother. They met at work, and I was born a year after they were married. My grandmother named me Aðalrun, after the sacred writing of our ancestors.

I do not remember my mother; she passed before I could even walk. My father and my grandmother raised me together. They told me the old myths in English and Norwegian, like their parents before them, yet only English took root with me. I did not discover a talent for languages when I grew, and the stories of my multi-lingual family only served to make me jealous. While I eventually learned Norwegian and Old Norse, it was a struggle for me; all I could do well was dismantle languages into their component parts, not create anything with them. Still, words carry a special magic for me, and what I love more than anything is uncovering that magic.”

Ada smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy. She turned to Loki for his reaction.

He was asleep.

She glared at his relaxed form. Her only satisfaction came from the fact that, instead of reflecting the peace of sleep, Loki’s face reflected a subtle grumpiness. He almost looked like he was pouting.

 _Well, so much for asking questions_ … she thought. She shifted to get up, and wondered if she should leave a note of apology or something for when he woke up. _Man, I completely ruined this opportunity!_

Ada looked at the sleeping figure, almost sick with guilt, the feeling magnified by her already bad mood and the fact that she was tired. She could feel the urge to cry rising, which only added to her frustration; she managed to will the tears away, and took a deep breath to calm down.

She stood up properly, and brushed the wrinkles out of her long skirt. The marble floor of Loki’s room was freezing on her bare feet, and she curled her toes in discomfort. Deciding that leaving a note would indeed be the best course of action, she turned to fetch her pen and paper from her own room. However, as she took a step, she felt her dress catch on something, causing her to stumble and nearly fall into the fountain. She spun and caught herself on its rim, and ungracefully sat down.

In her recovery, she had come to face Loki again, and was surprised to see him awake and smirking at her… with his foot on her skirt. She silently cursed whatever Asgardian fashion designer decided that trains on gowns were the “in” thing.

“Leaving so soon?” he purred, standing, but keeping Ada’s skirt pinned down with his foot. “But we were having such a lovely time!”

“S-sorry,” Ada stammered, halfheartedly tugging on her skirt to free it from Loki’s weight. “I thought you were asleep and… I was gonna leave a note but…” She felt tears besiege her eyes once again, and she fought to keep them at bay. _Ugh, this is so unlike me, I need to get more sleep…_

A hint of worry crossed Loki’s normally well-controlled face. He took a step sideways, releasing Ada’s skirt. “Are you ill?” he asked quietly, in a tone that Ada had not heard him use before.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, that’s the second time an Asgardian has asked me that today! We earthlings are not as fragile as you think!”

Loki arched an eyebrow at her response, his eyes full of contempt. “Then what in the Nine Realms is wrong with you? So excitable one night, dismal the next?” His expression softened slightly. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, studying her. “Is it your short life that causes such violent shifts in your moods?”

Ada blushed under his scrutiny, suddenly fully understanding Heimdall’s reaction to how she treated him. But really, it was sound logic on Loki’s part; if the history books were anything to go by, Asgardians had never had any long-term interactions with humans, so he must be as in the dark about their behavior patterns as Ada was about his.

She shrugged and crossed her arms. “Could be. But I’m also under kind of an extraordinary set of circumstances here. You’d need a larger sample size if you’re going to make those kinds of hypotheses.”

Loki blinked several times and looked away, grinning. “That could be arranged…” he said, almost to himself.

Ada’s eyes grew wide. She waved her hands in front of her frantically. “No no no, I didn’t mean that LITERALLY, it was more of an observation! Please don’t abduct anybody!”

Now it was Loki’s turn to laugh. “Having one conversational Midgardian nearly finds the limits of my tolerance; I doubt I would have the patience to deal with a whole herd of them.”

Ada giggled nervously. She couldn’t tell if he was joking… or joking about joking. Such was the peril of interacting with the god of mischief.

“Shall we retire to the library?” he asked, wearing his most charming smile. To Ada’s surprise, he offered his hand.

She looked at it like it was a bear trap. Smiling apprehensively, she made a move to stand up on her own.

Before Ada knew what was happening, Loki had knelt down and taken her hand in his faintly chilled one. “Manners,” he murmured, catching her eye before rising again. He guided her up with grace and unexpected gentleness.

She wished she could control her blushing like she could her tears; at this rate, the blood flow to her internal organs would be cut off in favor of coloring her face.

This was exactly the reaction Loki had been aiming for. His eyes twinkled and he grinned, releasing her hand. He took several elegant steps backward around the fountain, maintaining eye contact. He then placed his hands behind his back and spun to face the library, casting a glance over his shoulder at Ada in a silent request to follow.

And follow Ada did- though she wasn’t completely sure if her renewed excitement was due to the promise of books or something else entirely.

 

P.S: Wowwwww I can’t believe this is the 10th chapter! When I came up with the story, I thought it would be just a simple thing, but here we are at chapter 10, and I think I’m only about halfway done. Thanks to everyone who’s stuck with it this far! Yay!


	11. Chapter 11

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

 

                On the short walk to Loki’s library, Ada tried to gather her composure. For the first time, she was (extremely) conscious of Loki as something other than a legendary god-alien-humanoid… entity; she had been partly blinded to his physical attractiveness by his initial attitude, and after that by her academic desire to gather information from him. There was also the fact that he was a murdering megalomaniac… but that wasn’t _entirely_ his fault, right?

                Right?

                Ada was too well-versed in mythology to accept that Loki’s exploits in New York were purely the fault of the Tessaract (whatever THAT was) and the Chitauri. Even he had said that his actions were influenced by the revelation of his true parentage. Despite his tendency to cause chaos, the Loki of mythology always had a reason for the things he did- even if that reason was purely self-serving; real-life Loki was shaping up similarly, even if Ada couldn’t quite see his motivations yet. She would just have to be careful to keep her wits about her.

                Speaking of which… Loki, who had already claimed a seat at the wooden table in the center of the library, was staring at her questioningly from behind steepled fingers. Ada had apparently zoned out for some period of time, lost in thought. She laughed stiffly and sat in the seat across from him.

                Loki apparently thought her odd reaction was due to the lingering effect of his charm offensive, and grinned wolfishly. “Still overwhelmed, pet?”

                “ _Pet?!_ ” Ada snorted. “That’s an interesting term of endearment from you… do Asgardians even keep pets?”

                The mischievous spark in Loki’s eyes went out at her response. “It is not an uncommon practice on Asgard to keep a dog or a cat,” he said, slightly exasperated. “Though some of the more foolhardy Aesir are known to keep bilgesnipes and even dragons.”

                “That is _fascinating_ ,” Ada said earnestly. Her eyes seemed to have acquired the twinkle that had left Loki’s, though in a less malevolent way. “Have you or Thor ever had a pet?”

                “Ah, is this the Midgardian game called “Twenty Questions?”” Loki asked, recognition showing on his face. “My broth-…. _Thor_ described this game when last he paid me a visit. He says that he and his mortal play it often.”

                “ _Jane_ ”, Ada corrected. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t think of herself as ANYONE’S mortal.”

                “Ah yes, she is called Jane,” Loki said, touching his cheek gently with his fingertips. He frowned slightly, obviously annoyed. “It would be easy to forget such a dull name if it weren’t for the fact she seems to be fond of striking higher beings as some sort of a greeting.”

                Ada tried to repress a laugh, but was largely unsuccessful. “Are you still mad about that? It was spur of the moment, she was just-“

                “Acting on instinct, as animals do,” Loki finished sourly. “An inexcusable action, but one that can be expected of a member of such an inferior race. However, the day after our return to Asgard, she saw fit to strike me _again_ when she and Thor called on me in my chambers.”

                Ada’s eyes were almost watering from trying to not melt into laughter. She knew that he probably deserved it, either for insulting humanity or just in general. Ada could always count on Jane to overcome her scientific level-headedness in times of need.

                Still, she could see that Loki was sore about that subject, and decided to move on instead of provoking him. “Do you get many visitors, then?” she asked a little too cheerfully, trying to placate Loki’s increasingly irritated mood.

                Loki was only too happy to follow her lead away from the subject of Jane. “Only Thor and, on occasion, my mother. That is, of course, aside from the maids every morning and evening.” He paused and smirked. “Though I doubt I would retain my maid service should they catch wind of my jotun side. The average Asgardian is rather… small minded, you could say. Easily frightened, despite their superiority to other residents of the Nine Realms. I’m sure whoever has the dubious pleasure of tidying your quarters is less than thrilled about their appointment.”

                “Yeah, you really hit the nail on the head there,” Ada grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. “Why are they so touchy?”

                “I do believe it’s my turn to ask a question,” Loki purred, leaning back as well. Ada searched herself but found she didn’t have the patience to explain the rules of twenty questions to a god; she let him continue. “Is it true that there is a high rate of cannibalism among Midgardians?”

                Ada’s eyes grew wide. “Not that I’m aware of!” she spluttered. “Where did you even get that idea?!”

                Loki appeared to ponder her response and nodded to himself. “We have stories about other realms, just as Midgard as stories of Asgard. It appears our stories are no more accurate than yours.”

                _What the hell kind of stories do you have about us?! No wonder my maids are scared…_ is what Ada WANTED to say, but she caught herself. Can’t go wasting questions…

                “Are Midgardian women all trained as warriors? On my last… _visit_ to your realm, I couldn’t help but notice the large majority of them choose to forgo dresses in favor of slacks,” Loki asked before Ada had time to formulate another question.

                “What? No, they- hey, it’s my turn!” Ada responded indignantly.

                “No it isn’t, as you previously asked where I got my information on Midgardian cannibalism,” Loki said, his face smug. “Does that mean I have won the game?”

                Ada sighed. “It’s not really a winning kind of game…”

                “What is a game’s purpose if not to be won?” Loki asked, arching an eyebrow in annoyed confusion.

                Ada stared at the table, considering the question for a moment. “That’s… pretty philosophical. But THIS game in particular is more of an ice-breaker,” she looked up and smiled a little at Loki’s further befuddlement at the mention of the term. “It’s a way for two people to get to know each other better.”

                “Ah,” Loki seemed to grasp her meaning. “When Asgardians want to get to know each other better, it usually involves a fair amount of mead,” he said disdainfully. “I think this is one Midgardian custom that I prefer.”

                Ada chuckled. “We have that practice too, but I agree, this way is more interesting. And you tend to be able to remember it in the morning.”

                Loki hummed and closed his eyes. “You were saying about the Midgardian women…”

                “No, we’re not all trained as warriors,” Ada rolled her eyes. “The pants are a stylistic choice. Many women do wear skirts and dresses though. Do-“ _Oh wait, try not to phrase it as a question…_ “Er, unlike on Asgard, where clothing seems to be a mark of occupation or social standing… ?”

                Loki grinned, recognizing her verbal maneuvering. “Indeed,” he confirmed. “Very few Asgardian women wear slacks, as we have very few female warriors. This does not mean that our women are physically weak, however; I have heard that my mother has bested Odin in hand to hand combat more than once.”

                “Heh,” Ada smiled. “So…” she leaned forward and drummed her fingers on the table, trying to think of another question. _Might as well go for the big one…_ “The Alltongue. How does that work?”

                Loki’s eyes popped open and he gave a hearty laugh. “My, that is an awfully broad question!” He continued to chuckle as he sat up straight, steepling his fingers once again. “Tell me, girl, how well versed are you with magic?”

                “Not,” Ada answered truthfully. “I picked up the book you lent me, but I can’t say I _learned_ anything from it.” She paused, remembering something else. “Oh, but I know Runic magic! Well, I know OF it, anyway, just from my study of Norse linguistics.”

                “Well, prepare yourself for a rather lengthy explanation,” Loki said, somehow managing to make a boring statement sound slightly seductive. “Though not as long as your damned family history,” he added sarcastically.

                Ada’s lips formed a thin, irritated line. “If you want a better bedtime story, call a bard or something.”

                Loki smiled insincerely. “Sound advice!” He stood and selected a particularly large and ragged book from a high shelf. Its pages were tattered and stuffed with bookmarks of varying sizes and materials; this was a well-loved tome. Loki placed it spine-down on the table in front of Ada, and let it flop open to the page most natural to it. Ada stared at the yellowed pages in wonder.

                Loki ran his finger along a line of runes below a grid-like illustration. “This is a visualization of how our magic works. Essentially, it is the same as weaving- the tighter the “threads” are together, the less permeable the “fabric” is. Patterns can be woven into the fabric as well, creating more complex spells- you saw one of those patterns when you knocked your head into the shield outside your room.

                There are many ways to craft this fabric, one of which is the Runic method. In fact, the technique used to construct the Alltongue is Runic magic, and it is some of the strongest in the Nine Realms. Millennia ago, Odin’s father Bor wove the Alltongue with help from the most powerful sorcerers in Asgard in order to aid in diplomacy between the realms. It is a masterpiece of magic; it blankets the words of speakers without them even realizing a spell is in effect. This blanket effectively translates their words into the native tongue or tongues of the listener or listeners. The same applies to the written Alltongue- the ink in which our books are written is enchanted with the spell.

                Its only flaw- and it is indeed a small one-is that the spell requires a desire to communicate in order to function. So, for example, when Thor and I argued in front of you and Jane on Midgard, the Alltongue read the subconscious intent of our words and elected not to activate. This is due to the fact that we meant our words only for each other; my taunts were not meant to make an example of Thor to you, only to goad him into certain actions. Therefore, you heard our speech as our mother tongue.”

                Ada could’ve died happy in that moment. She realized that her eyes were dry from not blinking during Loki’s exposition, and she slowly fluttered them shut. Her head was buzzing with information trying to line itself up into intelligible thoughts and theories; she chewed her lip in concentration.

                Simultaneously, Ada opened her eyes and her mouth. “So that applies to any number of listeners, of any number of first languages? Is the spell cast over all residents of Asgard, or is it just inherently IN Asgard? Oh, but if that were the case, then Jane and I wouldn’t have been able to understand you on earth… But then how did we understand the fire jotun, if she’s not from Asgard? Is the spell cast selectively on only some of the realms? And what IS your first language? Did you really bring runes to earth, and if so, did you also bring Proto Norse? ARGH I need pen and paper, I’ll be right back!”

                She dashed out of the library and through Loki’s quarters, leaving him staring after her with a bemused look on his face. She skidded to a stop in front of the table in her bedroom, hurriedly gathered up her writing supplies, and flew through the joining doors. When she arrived back in the library, she was out of breath, and Loki had not moved an inch. She was glad; she half thought she had dreamed the whole thing.

                “Welcome back,” he chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint, but it _is_ my turn to ask the question.”

                “I HEREBY FORFEIT TWENTY QUESTIONS, THE WINNER IS LOKI,” Ada all but shouted.

                “I thought you said there was no-“

                “I know, _I know_ , but this is…” Ada grappled for words. When she couldn’t find any, she settled for her best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “ _Please_ , Loki? Don’t make me beg…” she said tragically. A thought occurred to her and her expression became more contemplative. “But I _could_ beg, you’d probably prefer that…” she said, mostly to herself.

                Loki burst into peals of hearty laughter. “Oh… oh my…” he choked between laughs. “You Midgardians absolutely slay me! So self-serving!” He wiped a tear from his eye.

                Ada sat stone still, her quill hovering above the paper expectantly. There were any number of rude ways she could respond to his insults, but she would happily take one for the team if it meant getting data on what was probably the greatest linguistic breakthrough in history. She coached her face into a receptive and cheerful expression.

                Loki’s laughter slowly faded into a series of gentle chuckles. He sighed happily. “I knew I was right to bring you to Asgard! You’re even more entertaining than I counted on.”

                Ada’s eye twitched. _Is he going to pony up the information, or should I push him more? Maybe I will have to beg..._

                Loki leaned back into his chair and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You needn’t beg, Aðalrun. I shall volunteer whatever information you wish willingly. However, there is one thing I require in return…” He stood and walked languidly over to Ada’s chair. He draped an arm over it and leaned in so his face was almost touching hers. With a glimmer in his eye, he whispered, “A kiss.”

                Ada shrunk into the chair, as far away from him as she could go without actually slipping under the table. Her head felt like it was about to explode; she could feel the blush spread across her cheeks and onto her ears. Where was all this coming from?! Just last night, Loki had been almost violent to her, and now he was flirting harder than a half-drunk college frat boy. It wasn’t that a large part of Ada didn’t WANT to kiss him, it was just that the whole situation seemed really… off. Still, there had been worse things done in the name of science…

                Loki watched her expectantly- his expression was unreadable. “I… I… I…” Ada stammered, squeezing her eyes shut to cement her decision. When she opened them again, there was no sign of Loki next to her. He had somehow returned to his seat in the short moment that her eyes were closed. She pulled herself back up in her chair self-consciously, taking care to avoid eye contact with him.

                When he saw that she had returned to her wits, he narrowed his eyes and smirked knowingly. “It seems even mortals have limits to how far they will go to get what they want,” he observed. “Do not fret, I had no intention of kissing you this evening… though, if you wish to obtain the information you seek, I am serious about getting something in return,” he lowered his voice, “though I am still uncertain as to what I will ask for.”

                Ada’s face was now red for a different reason. She stood up so quickly her chair almost toppled over, and balled her hands into fists on the table. “Oh my GOD, what are you, twelve?! Why are you yanking me around like this?!” she said, trying to keep her voice down- she didn’t do a very good job. “Believe it or not, I don’t simply exist to be your plaything! Insult humanity all you want, fair enough, a lot of them are jerks, but I’m trying to do some legitimate academic research on something that could very probably change the world… if I live long enough to go home! If you don’t feel like answering my questions, _fine_ , but don’t get my hopes up about it!”

                Ada gathered up her paper and quill messily. Her breathing was ragged. “Good _evening_ , Loki. I’ll return your books tomorrow night, but don’t expect any more visits. I can work myself into a psychological fervor just fine on my own, thanks!”

                She turned to leave, but froze at the unmistakable sound of armor clattering- einherjar were coming around the corner. Before Ada even had a chance to drop her writing supplies, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind. She was held tightly, her back flat against Loki’s chest. “Don’t move,” he hissed into her ear.

                Two einherjar came into view milliseconds later- Ada looked at them with large, fearful eyes. But strangely, they didn’t look back. “Are you well, my lord? We heard shouting, and-“

                “Of _course_ I am well, you blithering idiots!” Loki snapped. “How could any ill befall me when I am locked up like a common criminal?!”

                “B-but the shouting-“

                “ _Clearly_ I was simply reading a passage from one of my books aloud! I find it easier to grasp the meaning that way, but as I have been _interrupted_ , I shall have to begin again!” Loki growled, voice full of venom.

                “Y-yes my lord, our sincerest apologies!” The einherjar almost tripped over each other exiting the library.

                Loki didn’t release Ada until they heard the doors to his quarters shut. When he did, he stumbled backwards, gasping for breath; he steadied himself on Ada’s chair.

                “W-what just… how…?” Ada spluttered, whirling to face a rather pallid and clammy god.

                As Loki caught his breath, he began to laugh harshly. “Wonderful, wonderful! Even better than I dared to hope!” He was looking in Ada’s direction, but she felt he was looking through her rather than at her. He thought for a further few moments, then seemed to come out of his manic state, standing up straight and making minor adjustments to his clothes. “With no time to prepare, I just destabilized the magic restriction spell Odin himself placed on my room!” He puffed his chest out like a proud rooster as the color began to return to his face.

                Noticing Ada’s still clueless expression, Loki continued. “Magic is a fabric, as I explained. But pull a few threads here and there, and holes begin to form- the hard part is finding the right threads.” He mimed a plucking motion with one hand. “Odin would never trust me to remain in my quarters if I had any hope of enchanting my way out of them; he spent a lot of time weaving the spell that suppresses my magical activity here. I had every intention of undoing his handiwork _eventually_ , when I had more time to analyze it, but now it appears there is no need! I discovered the weak point when I cast the illusion spell on us!”

                Ada took a careful step back. “But you enchanted the books you lent me last night to be invisible… how…?” she asked hesitantly.

                “Odin is not so cruel a jailer as to deprive me of everyday conveniences…” Loki paused and smiled grimly. “Well, more accurately, my mother is not. She… _persuaded_ Odin to let the suppression spell have a bit of elasticity. A simple spell such as the one I cast on the books falls well within the bounds of that elasticity.”

                “So now what, are you going to take over the kingdom or something?” Ada tried to impart her question with a tone of sarcasm, but she was largely unsuccessful due to the fact that a violent power grab would not exactly be out of character for Loki.

                He began to laugh again, and advanced on Ada. She instinctively took another step back, causing his laughter to increase in volume. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, still chuckling. She stared at the cold hand on her bare arm with disbelief and trepidation.

                “Walk with me,” Loki said, gently guiding her out of the library. “I’ll show you something.”

                They walked the rest of the way to their adjoining doorways in silence; Ada took care to stay far enough ahead that she was never fully in Loki’s embrace. They stopped at the open door.

                Loki bent down and murmured into Ada’s ear, “Do you trust me?”

                Ada stepped to the side, out of his grasp. “ _Hell_ no!” she spat, appalled that he would even ask after everything that had happened that night.

                His smile in response was wide and dangerous. “Good! You shouldn’t. Now, close one eye.”

                Ada regarded Loki suspiciously. “Why?”

                He rolled his eyes. “Because it won’t _work_ if you have both eyes open, I don’t know why. Come now.”

                “What won’t…?” Ada trailed off and sighed heavily. She reluctantly closed her right eye.

                “Thank you,” Loki said dramatically. He placed two fingers on her left temple, causing her to jump back slightly. He put his hand on her shoulder partly for comfort, but mostly to keep her still. “Shh, watch the doorway.”

                Ada did as she was told and gasped as the rectangular space seemed to burst into shimmering light. As her eye adjusted, she could see that the light was actually composed of thick glowing orange and yellow lines woven together. The pattern was lovely and even, and the lines… the _threads_ , she supposed… seemed to pulse with energy and life. However, in the bottom right corner, there was a section that was dark and looked almost moth-eaten. She stared at it curiously.

                “My handiwork,” Loki said quietly. “I am one of the privileged few who can see spells with my naked eye, so any… _improvements_ I make to spells tend to go unnoticed.”

                “Do you see them all the time?” Ada asked, equally quiet. “That must be so distracting!”

                Loki withdrew his fingers from her temple and the light faded. He laughed softly as she blinked. “No, only when I wish to. But indeed, it is very annoying, especially during crowded banquets.” He winced at some unnamed memory.

                “Thank you,” Ada said genuinely. “That was… really amazing. But how come I could see the pattern in the shield spell on my balcony?”

                Loki closed his eyes. “It’s always more questions with you!” he exclaimed, exasperated. But when he opened them, his expression softened; there was a raw earnestness in his eyes. “If you are willing to visit me again tomorrow night, I promise I will answer more of them for you.”

                Ada did not know how to respond. The sight of her bed on the other side of the door had reminded her of how tired she was before she had even come into Loki’s room, and her thoughts were starting to be clouded by sleep again. She looked up into his clear green eyes and purred, “Maybe.”

                She walked straight into her room without giving Loki another look, and shut the door behind her. Smiling, she leaned against it, sinking slowly to the floor, thankful to once again be by herself.

                “Don’t make me beg…” came a sultry whisper through the keyhole.

                Ada shot up, snatched a pillow from her bed, yanked the pillowcase off of it, and stuffed it into the hole.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

 

                Ada woke up feeling like someone had been whispering in her ear all night. She couldn’t remember what was being said, or even the general feeling of the topic of the whispers, but she knew they were all uttered in Loki’s low, silky tone.

                She laid flat on her back in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling, trying to push the sound of his voice out of her head. She had only gotten (an estimated) three hours of rest, but she somehow felt like she couldn’t sleep any more. So, here she was, awake before even the maids came in.

                Ada rolled out of bed slowly. She minced over to where she had dropped her quill, ink, and paper in front of the adjoining door the night before; she gave the pillowcase stuffed in the keyhole a good poke to make sure it was still snug. She then shuffled over to her table and unceremoniously dumped her supplies onto it. She stared at the mess she made, slightly annoyed, but too lazy to do anything about it.

                When Drifa and the maids eventually came in, they found Ada hopping around on one foot trying to pull on a rather complex piece of armor over a messily done up blue dress.

                “Good gracious, are you trying to kill yourself?” Drifa asked. Despite the wording of the question, Drifa managed to keep her voice devoid of concern.

                Ada stopped, put her other foot back on the ground, and became focused on trying to untangle herself from the parts of the armor that she had managed to get on. She smiled guiltily at Drifa. “Just thought I’d give it a shot…?”

                Suddenly, a distressed squeak came from the corner of the room. When Ada and Drifa turned to see what was going on, they found a maid staring at the pillowcase in the keyhole. She looked from the pillowcase to Ada, then to Drifa nervously, unsure of what to do, and upset by the whole business.

                Drifa arched an eyebrow at Ada accusingly. Ada scrambled to think of an excuse. “There was a… a draft coming from it. I didn’t want to catch a cold!”

                The mention of Ada’s frail Midgardian health was enough justification for Drifa. “Leave it,” she droned, waving the maid on to some other task. She turned to Ada. “Now, you must really learn to put at least your dress on by yourself. Even the most hopeless members of the royal family can accomplish that much.”

                “It’s not my fault I was never a Renaissance fair enthusiast…” Ada grumbled as Drifa deftly unfastened and refastened the tiny buttons and decorative laces that held the gown together.

                “I have no idea what you mean,” Drifa said, making quick work of the breastplate and shoulder guards.

                Ada shifted awkwardly as the armor took her shape. “Thanks,” she muttered. “Hey, does Asgard happen to have like coffee or anything? Something warm and caffeinated?”

                “Kah-fey?” The syllables left Drifa’s mouth stiffly. She stroked her chin, thinking. “Mead can be imbibed while warm. I can have it sent to your room later, if you wish.”

                Ada winced. She’d had enough mead in the past few days to last a lifetime. “N-no, that’s alright, thanks.”

                Drifa inclined her head slightly. “Then I shall see you this evening, my lady.”

                Ada sighed and plopped back down on her bed as the maids filed out. _Another day of waiting…_ she thought, frustrated. _If only I were nocturnal._

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Ada watched the slowly moving hand of the celestial dial, drumming her fingers on the table. The day had passed especially slowly, due to the lack of a visit from Jane; she figured she’d probably been installed in the library and lost track of time.

                The sun had long since set, and the maids had come and gone, but Ada had no intention of just waltzing through the adjoining door as if nothing had happened. No, she needed a plan of attack. Keeping her wits about her only went so far when what was probably the most attractive man in the universe was hitting on her… even if it was apparently just a ruse to get what he wanted.

                Ada flushed thinking about it. It was all very silly, really; Loki obviously held all of humanity so far in contempt he could barely tolerate its existence, so there was no chance in hell (or Valhalla) that his flirting had any real meaning behind it.

                She felt a strange pang of disappointment when she reasoned it to herself that way.

                But moving on- a plan. _Loki was the god of mischief and lies… I wonder if just telling him the truth would throw him off balance?_

                Ada grinned to herself, happy with the idea. The hard part would be actually doing it under duress.

                She scooted her chair back authoritatively and, writing supplies in hand, headed to the adjoining doors. She pulled out the pillowcase, letting it fall to the floor in a heap, and tugged her side of the door open.

                To Ada’s surprise and irritation, before she could knock, Loki had swung his own door open. Smiling like a loon, he crowed, “Welcome, Aðalrun! A lovely evening, it is not? Come, let us chat in the library!” He waved his arm broadly, directing her into his room.

                “You sound like Thor!” Ada snickered as she entered. She was pleased with the variety of expressions his face took in response. Eventually he settled on his trademark roguish smirk, though it was obviously somewhat forced.

                “I am… _pleased_ that you have elected to return to my company after how I acted last night,” Loki said falteringly. He cleared his throat to try to disguise any weakness implied by it and began to walk. “I see you have come prepared to interrogate me properly this time.”

                Ada smiled at his back as she followed. Was he so concerned about losing his pet-slash-entertainment that he was driven to (almost) apologize? “What can I say, we linguists don’t often get to converse with speakers of dead languages, let alone magical aliens who speak said dead languages.”

                Loki hummed in acknowledgement of the fact that he was indeed something to be treasured. Ada rolled her eyes as they walked through the entrance shelves of his library.

                As they came around the fire pit, Ada noticed two small golden cups and something distinctly teapot-like sitting on the table. She approached the table warily and set her writing tools on it, bending at the waist to examine the vessel more closely. Its body appeared to be made of some sort of horn, though she couldn’t imagine what sort of a creature would have such large and strangely rounded horns. The body was encased in bronze metallic knotwork, coming to a spout in the shape of a head of a wolf.

                “I thought it would be atmospheric to have a warm drink while we discussed things tonight,” Loki said, gracefully sliding into his seat. He poured a steaming, light brown liquid from the pot into each cup and pushed one towards Ada. “It may also help you stay alert at this late hour.”

                She sat down and eyed the cup suspiciously. “Poisonous or alcoholic?” she asked him matter-of-factly.

                Loki chuckled. “Neither, though I doubt you’d take my word for it.” He took a sip. “It is a beverage called _te_. I was under the impression that something similar exists on Midgard.”

                “ _Te_?” Ada repeated, picking up the cup and smelling the contents. “Tea!” she exclaimed with a wide grin. She took a large swig, but found it tasted oddly of licorice; she screwed up her face at the flavor. She blinked, and slipped into linguist mode. “You called it _te_ , that’s the Norwegian word for tea… but wouldn’t the Alltongue translate that to English for my ears? Why did you even use that word if you speak Proto Norse? Is it a neologism? How-“

                Loki cut her off with a laugh. “My word, all this fervor over a drink? I should be hospitable more often!” He took another drink and set his cup down gently. “Now, one question at a time. If you heard the word _te_ , that indicates to me that there is some crucial difference between it and your “tea”. Tell me, what are the ingredients of the beverage that you are referring to?”

                Ada frowned at this strange concept. “Tea is just dried leaves and hot water. What’s in _te_?” She crossed her arms in front of her on the table. “And how does the Alltongue know my mental definition of tea?”

                “Ah,” Loki nodded. “ _Te_ is similar, but has the added ingredient of burdock. And all this, actually, is a lovely example of how the Alltongue works. It sources the _langue_ from the mind of the speaker and generates _parole_.”

                Ada stared at him, eyes wide as dinner plates. “H-how can you know Saussurean linguistic terms*? That’s not possible! Or shouldn’t be possible… Unless…” she chewed on her thumbnail in thought and then grinned almost deviously. “Oh wow, that IS clever… it pulled the terms from my own knowledge, which means you have equivalent words in your language!” She began to hastily scribble down notes.

                Loki chuckled, a sincerity present in the sound of it that Ada had not heard before. It caused her to look up from her notes momentarily, to make sure she was still in the company of the devious god of lies. She cocked her head curiously.

                “My apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Loki said with a smile. “It is just refreshing to be able to explain a concept and have it actually be understood without a great deal of dumbing down.”

                “Maybe you should take up teaching,” Ada said with an edge of sarcasm. She finished up her writing and had another sip of _te_ ; she found it slightly less offensive on the second try.

                “Not _that_ refreshing,” Loki said dryly. “Since our chat last night, have you looked any more at the beginner’s magic book?”

                “I dunno, I flipped through it again,” Ada shrugged. “It made a little bit more sense after what you said about the different methods of magic. I assume all the spells in it are speech-based, given the requirement of the activation phrases?”

                “Indeed,” Loki said, pouring himself another cup of _te_. “The speech method is the simplest way of weaving a spell, though it is also the most versatile. Masters of this form of magic tend to be overflowing with magical potential. I am skilled in it to the point that I had to be muzzled when I was… _escorted_ from your realm,” he smirked, taking more pride in the fact than any reasonable individual would. His expression became one of thinly veiled disgust as he continued. “But Bragi is the true master of the craft. His entire being _oozes_ with magic, which, I might add, could be put to better use in areas that are not writing poetry and serenading women.”

                “Bragi? _The_ Bragi? God of poetry and words?” Ada said, sitting up straight in excitement. “So he exists? I was getting a little bit concerned about the status of the members of the Norse pantheon after hearing that Sigyn never seems to have existed. Does he really have runes on his tongue? Is that some sort of reference to Runic magic?”

                Loki gave her a withering look. “Yes, _that_ Bragi. It is interesting to hear a Midgardian’s take on the concept of such a being. I doubt your myths have accurately captured the nature of him.”

                “My myths quite prominently mention the fact that you two don’t exactly get along,” Ada chuckled. The look on Loki’s face confirmed her assertion. “Of course, you hardly get along with any of the other gods in my myths.”

                Loki’s smirk at the remark was tinged with a kind of bitter sadness. “Quite. While the Aesir delight in physical exertion and making war, I content myself with more intellectual pursuits. And, as I have previously mentioned, Asgardians are wary of things that are perceived as different; the Aesir, despite their elevated status, are the same in that respect.”

                “What, you don’t like to make war?” Ada scoffed. “What would you call your attack on New York then?”

                “Conquering,” Loki said coolly. His eyes flashed blue. “When I go to battle, it is not to flex my muscles, but to bring my challenger to their knees.”

                Ada gulped down her _te_ nervously. “Another cup?” Loki asked with a predatory grin. He lifted the teapot in anticipation of her response.

                “S-sure,” Ada said, trying to regain her composure after Loki’s breakneck mood swings. She scooted her cup to the center of the table.

                As Loki reached for it, his hand brushed hers, lingering on her fingers; the sensation sent shivers down her spine and she blushed, despite her determination not to. It was abundantly obvious that this contact was no accident, due to the fact that he was actively trying to catch her eye. She withdrew her hand smoothly and met his gaze, giving him her best deadpan expression even though she could feel her chest fluttering. She mentally challenged him to try his luck.

                Loki’s smile softened at Ada’s efforts, and he shook his head gently as he poured more _te_ into her cup.

                Ada frowned at Loki’s apparent trivialization of her reaction. When he handed the cup back to her, she almost snatched it from his hand. “Thanks,” she grumbled. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. “Do you think we could try to do some elicitations? In Proto Norse, if we can somehow get around the Alltongue.” She messily sketched some chart outlines that she could fill in as they worked. “I’ll just ask you how to say a word, and you say it in your mother tongue.”

                “Simple in concept, not so simple in execution,” Loki sighed. He turned sideways in his chair and swung his legs over the arm, stretching as he did so. “I would have to trick myself into believing that you either speak in my tongue or that you aren’t present.”

                Ada chewed her lip in frustration. “There aren’t any other loopholes? I mean, I know SOME Proto Norse words, but I wouldn’t go nearly so far to say that I’m fluent in it.”

                Loki shrugged and placed his hands behind his head. “Why don’t you give it a go,” he said, staring blankly at his bookshelves.

                Ada cleared her throat. <<Hello, I am called Aðalrun>> she said haltingly.

                Loki completely repositioned himself at her words, spinning to a proper sitting position and leaning forward. His eyes sparkled. <<Yes, lovely!>> he exclaimed, and continued with a phrase that Ada didn’t recognize.

                “Sorry, I missed that last part,” she said apologetically and almost desperately. “Could you repeat it?”

                Loki smiled enthusiastically. “I was saying that your accent is atrocious. Say something else, and I will try to offend you more slowly.”

                Ada couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to think of something else to say. <<You are called Loki.>>

                <<Your… accent… is… atrocious>> Loki responded, taking joy in enunciating the insult.

                Ada giggled as she tried to transcribe his words. “One more time?” <<We are called Aðalrun and Loki!>>

                Loki rolled his eyes but continued to smile as he spoke the phrase again. “Will we be doing this all night?”

                “I hope so!” Ada said brightly as she checked and corrected her transcriptions.

                Loki watched her work, observing the strange phonological symbols taking shape on the paper. “Well, I don’t believe either of us have anything better to do!” he laughed.

 

*Ferdinand de Saussure was an influential linguist who developed the concept of _langue_ (principals of language) and _parole_ (the actual utterances produced by said principals).


	13. Chapter 13

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

                Ada’s notepaper stack was dwindling. And after an hour and a half of elicitations with Loki, so was her energy. She laid her quill down and rubbed her eyes; only when she pulled her hand away did she realize her fingers were stained with black ink. She briefly wondered if she had accidently wiped any on her face, but quickly realized she didn’t quite care.

                Loki, strangely, still seemed fairly energetic. Of course, he had indulged in six cups of _te_ to Ada’s two and a half; she figured he must be on some sort of godly caffeine high. He stared at her, grinning away.

                Ada sighed wearily. “I think I’m done for the night, I don’t know if I can come up with any more Proto Norse prompts for you…”

                Loki made a disappointed sound but remained smiling. “Perhaps I overestimated your mortal stamina! I was not being facetious when I asked if we would be doing this all night.”

                Ada laughed quietly and somewhat uncomfortably. “Sorry to disappoint, I’m just not used to doing elicitations at ungodly hours of the night.”

                “You’re lucky you are with a god, then!” Loki chuckled heartily at his own wordplay. “So, what would you like to do for the rest of the night? Look at more books, perhaps? Discuss magic?”

                Ada blinked several times, unsure of how to handle this disturbingly cheerful Loki. She fidgeted with her papers, tidying them. “I, uh, meant that I was getting tired in general, too… I kinda wouldn’t mind just going to bed.”

                A subtle disappointment flashed in Loki’s eyes, although they quickly regained their roguish twinkle. The shift did not escape Ada’s notice, and she felt a distinct pang of guilt. She wondered how long Loki had been imprisoned before her arrival; it had been over a year since his attack on New York. How often was he able to leave his room in that time? And how many visitors had he received other than Thor and Frigga? Ada tried to imagine what that must have been like- even if she had access to a book collection like Loki’s, she was fairly certain she would’ve gotten rather desperate for a change of pace.

                “Unfortunate, that,” Loki said smoothly. “For having such short lives, Midgardians do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping.”

                The remark piqued Ada’s interest, as she imagined it was meant to. She sighed and took the bait. “What, do Asgardians not sleep?”

                “We only sleep in order to replenish our magical energies,” he responded, pleased that Ada had engaged him. “While it is not a requirement, especially if not much energy is expelled, many do it simply out of habit as a way to relax. Odin, however, never sleeps- unless he is forced to.”

                “Forced to?” Ada asked before she could stop herself. Loki’s conversation-leading remarks were blunt, but effective. Despite her previous determination to go to bed, Ada couldn’t turn down an opportunity to learn firsthand information about mythological figures.

                “Odin remains ever vigilant in his role of Allfather of the Nine Realms. This vigilance, however, takes its toll on him physically,” Loki smirked, apparently enjoying speaking of Odin’s weakness. “He knows when he must rest in order to recover his magical and vital energies; this resting period is called the Odinsleep, and can last anywhere from a week to years. Being the stubborn old mule that he is, he often puts off beginning his Odinsleep until he has physically collapsed. Over the years, it had become harder and harder to assure the common people of Asgard that their king is still in command at such times.”

                Ada was surprised both by the phenomenon Loki was describing and by his willingness to discuss what sounded like politically damaging information with a mere Midgardian. She understood that she resented Odin to a great extent and that he probably enjoyed exposing his flaws, but this seemed too important to simply come out of left field. “This is all… very interesting,” Ada said, her voice cracking slightly. “None of the myths that I know mention that Odin has to recharge.”

                “I would be concerned if they did! Widespread knowledge of a periodically incapacitated king tends to cause unrest, you know!” Loki’s smile had become more predatory.

                Ada laughed nervously, unsure of what to say. The conversation was beginning to sound very much like the first hint of a planned power grab.

                “War with Muspellheim is on the horizon, but so is the next Odinsleep,” Loki mused. “It would certainly be inconvenient if those two events were to intersect.”

                Ada couldn’t even force a nervous laugh at such a blatant display of desire for destructive mischief. It was honesty time. “Loki, I, uh… I’m not entirely sure why you’re telling me this, but I really don’t want to get involved with… whatever it is you’re planning.” She sighed. “In fact, I should probably mention this whole thing to Thor… that would be the right thing to do.”

                Loki grinned wide and opened his mouth to speak, but Ada cut him off. “Yes, I know, _but if you tell Thor, then he will know of our illicit visits, and what’s to stop you from being thrown in the dungeon?_ ” she mimicked Loki’s deep voice and accent. “So I’m not going to. But just cool it on the evil plots, okay?”

                Loki laughed loudly and warmly at her words, despite the seriousness of the situation. “My my, little Aðalrun has certainly taken care to assess the situation!” He relished the glare he received for his demeaning remark. “Fear not, mortal, there would be no place for you in any “evil plot” you imagine I have. I simply strive to keep you abreast of the delicate situation that is emerging, so you may better prepare yourself for the fall of Asgard.”

                “The fall of…?” Ada choked. “Damnit Loki, can you not just-“

                “Now, don’t go jumping to conclusions!” he interrupted, exaggerating a shocked expression. “I never said Asgard was going to fall, I was simply implying that it pays to be prepared for all eventualities!” He chuckled quietly and added, “And I do love how my name rolls off your tongue.”

                Ada’s face immediately went red hot and she made some sound between a sputter and a snort. She stared down at the table so hard she could’ve burnt a hole through it. “I- you-“ she tried to pull herself together and build up her nerve again. She looked Loki straight in the eye as she continued. “I’m a linguist, not a courtier or henchman or someone who is going to be charmed into blindly following you into… whatever it is you’re doing. I’m just here for the language… and the company.” She looked away before Loki could read any further emotion from her.

                To her surprise, Loki didn’t immediately come back with a biting remark about how mortals are made to follow, or some other comment on human inferiority. She quickly glanced up to try to find the reason for the silence, and found that Loki was looking away as well. His expression was thoughtful and strangely serene.

                He caught sight of Ada and smiled. His eyes carried their familiar twinkle, but there was nothing threatening in them. “I… appreciate the sentiment,” he said hesitantly. His smile faded to his usual smirk. “Though I’m sure you’ll find it is misplaced. Now, to bed with you! I can’t have my only true source of entertainment in this dismal place become ill.”

                Ada chose to take that as a compliment. She smiled at Loki as she gathered her papers and stood. He stood as well and came around the table to see her out.

                As they reached the adjoining doors, Ada turned to thank him for participating in her elicitations, only to find him gazing wistfully at his own bed. “Maybe you should get some rest too,” she said, nodding at the bed. “How much magic does it take to make a hole in the force field between our rooms every night?”

                 “Enough,” Loki said, smiling ruefully at the fact he was caught. “Perhaps I shall. It’s been days since my last rest. I shall see you tomorrow evening, Aðalrun.”

                “Goodnight!” Ada said cheerfully as she crossed into her own room. As the door closed behind her, she pondered the necessity of replacing the pillowcase in the keyhole. She shrugged, concluding that she probably didn’t need it, and got ready for bed.

                Ada climbed under her sheets and stared up at the intricately patterned ceiling. She turned the new data she had collected over and over in her mind, making preliminary hypotheses. It helped distract her from the later events of the night as well. However, as she drifted off to sleep, Ada couldn’t help but recall Loki’s voice as he uttered the Proto Norse phrases, and what he said about his name rolling off her tongue…

 

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

                _Ada was standing in her chambers, fully clothed, though it was obviously late at night. Her back was to the fireplace and Loki, bedecked in his rather intimidating leather armor, stood in front of her. He was not smiling, though his eyes sparkled. “Aðalrun…” He whispered her name so quietly that Ada was not sure he had said it at all, but for the slight movement of his lips._

_It never occurred to her to wonder why he was in her room (or how he got there for that matter); she was slightly confused, however, at the expression on his face. Loki looked at her so earnestly and with so much need that it almost made her weak in the knees- but even in this odd situation she hesitated to give herself over entirely to emotions, despite the fact that Loki’s eyes seemed to grow darker the longer he looked at her._

_“Aðalrun,” Loki said again, with more energy this time. His brow furrowed slightly as he took a step toward her, his boot falling heavily on the marble._

_Ada watched him with curiosity… and with longing. She could now sense what he wanted and began to let her guard down a little. She could feel somewhere deep down that none of what was going on was real anyway; she had always been somewhat of a lucid dreamer and this had all of the hallmarks of being several steps outside of reality. Everything was just a little too bright, a little too soft, and a little too magical (even for Asgard)._

_“What the hell,” Ada said aloud, smiling. If she couldn’t indulge herself in her dreams, then when could she?_

_Loki took another step in her direction, causing her to lose grip on her lucidity. But her previous resolution was enough- she felt her insides turn to mush and her face grow red as Loki continued to approach her._

_He was now wearing a smirk, more subtle and knowing than any she had seen from him previously. As he grew closer, Ada found herself marveling at how tall Loki was. Had he always been this tall? Perhaps it was the armor that made him look more imposing-_

_Ada froze as Loki reached out and brushed her left cheek with his hand. His skin was cool to the touch, as she remembered, but not uncomfortably so. It was almost soothing on her burning face. He took one more step toward her and stopped._

_Ada looked up into Loki’s dancing green eyes, allowing herself to become lost in the desire she saw there. His hand remained cradling her face, his thumb stroking her cheekbone lightly. She leaned into his touch slightly, and gingerly raised her own hand to rest on his wrist._

_“Aðalrun…” Loki repeated, his voice impossibly silky. He leaned down, gently nuzzling his way to her ear, and whispered “Ada.”_

_Shivers raced down her spine and the tiniest moan escaped her lips. She gripped Loki’s wrist for support._

_Ada felt him smile as he began to plant unbearably soft kisses along her jawbone and down her neck. Loki’s hand snaked from its place on her cheek to run his fingers through her short hair. He wound his free arm around her waist, pulling her to him. His kisses became longer and more determined, sometimes punctuated by quick nips._

_Ada gasped and wrapped her arms around him. It felt like she was hanging on for dear life. When he finally pulled away and looked into her eyes, they shared such a mutual longing that Loki and Ada might as well have been magnetically attracted to one another. Her lips ached for the touch of his, and he obliged._

_Their first kiss was powerful, and Ada couldn’t help but whimper into his mouth. Loki pulled away for a moment out of concern, but Ada would not have any of that; she stood on her tiptoes and drew him back to her, deepening the kiss. Now it was Loki’s turn to moan._

_Ada was pleasantly surprised at the sound, and it encouraged her to be more aggressive. She smiled into the kiss and nibbled Loki’s bottom lip._

_He clutched her to him, hard, her breastplate pressing roughly against the thick leather covering his chest. Annoyed by the barrier between them, Loki grasped Ada’s shoulders and forced her away, much to her chagrin. He ran a hand from her shoulder to the top of her breast, trailing his fingers down the metal that encased it. Suddenly, he withdrew his hand a few inches and splayed his fingers._

_Ada involuntarily slumped slightly as her rigid armor disappeared. Loki was obviously very pleased with his work, catching her eye and smiling darkly. Her airy dress suddenly felt very thin._

_Loki’s hand hovered for another moment above Ada’s breast before finally migrating slightly north to trace along her collarbone and up the back of her neck. His other hand crept around to her back and ran down her now unshielded spine as he pulled her into another kiss._

_While Ada was now soft and huggable, Loki was still covered in stiff leather. Ada tried halfheartedly to fiddle with the strap that held his metal shoulder plate on, but quickly realized that not only did she have no idea what she was doing, but she was far too distracted by the kiss to try to figure it out._

_Loki, feeling the confusion in her touch, broke the kiss and chuckled. His upper body shimmered and his armor was replaced by the green linen shirt Ada was accustomed to seeing him in. His close fitting leather trousers remained, however- not that she minded._

_She brought one of her hands to rest lightly on Loki’s chest. The v of his neckline exposed plenty of kissable skin, which Ada quickly began to take advantage of. Loki gasped and clutched at the ribbon ties at the back of Ada’s dress, hastily undoing them._

_Ada felt her dress growing loose around her shoulders and arched her back as she felt a cool hand slide across her bare skin. She kissed up Loki’s neck and nibbled his earlobe, enjoying feeling his hand suddenly ball into a fist in response._

_Unable to take any more teasing, Loki caught Ada’s face in his hand and guided it up to his. Kissing her deeply and with a low growl, he all but tore the top of Ada’s dress off, leaving her breasts exposed._

_She squeaked in surprise, but the sound quickly turned into a whimper of pleasure as Loki’s hand cupped her breast almost roughly. She was forced to pull away from his lips to catch her breath._

_Loki, his voice gravelly with arousal, whispered, “Aðalrun…” His long fingers encircled her nipple and played over it gently._

_Ada gasped sharply at the feeling, grasping the material of Loki’s shirt and pressing her forehead into the crook of his neck. She panted and moaned quietly as he continued. “Lo-“ she started, but was cut short by a rush of pleasure as Loki twirled her nipple between his fingers. She began to kiss his neck again almost frantically, overwhelmed by the feeling of Loki’s hands on her body._

_His other hand joined its mate on Ada’s chest, squeezing her breasts together. He teased both of her nipples at the same time with his thumbs, expressing his delight in them with a low hum._

_Ada moaned into his neck. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. “Loki…” she finally choked out. “Loki, please…”_

 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

                “Loki!” Ada called. She was sitting straight up in bed, her sheets tangled about her legs. Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on, but when she did, she collapsed back into the pillows with an exasperated groan. She flipped over and put her face into one pillow and covered her head with another. “Shit…” she grumbled. She was fairly certain that dream would affect her ability to collect unbiased linguistic data. But still…

                Ada blushed and grinned into her pillow as the maids filed in for their morning chores.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

     

                “And that is how Yggdrasil is not only a literal reflection of the health and status of the galaxies in the Nine Realms cluster but also a conduit for direct and indirect interactions between them. Basically, it’s like a combination of a computer’s operating system and some sort of infinitely complex baby monitor. Without it, Asgard’s ability to create Einstein-Rosen bridges may completely break down, and the metric expansion of space in this cluster will increase exponentially, possibly affecting the fabric of reality and time itself.”

                A rather frazzled-looking Thor had deposited an equally frazzled Jane in Ada’s room about an hour ago. Jane had not stopped talking since she arrived, despite the fact that Ada’s mind was obviously elsewhere. Jane worked through complicated concepts out loud, and Ada had spent enough time with her to realize that asking for clarification would only generate more scientific jargon. However, Jane’s summary of the issue at hand was fairly understandable- and quite worrying.

                “But what about the Norns?” Ada asked uncertainly. “You mentioned earlier that somehow their wellbeing is tied to that of the Nine Realms as well as the tree-”

                Jane cut her off. “Norns? Oh yeah, the programs.” Ada’s look of utter confusion was enough to encourage her to elaborate. “If I think about it all like a computer, it makes more sense. The Norns are the programs that can access information from the galaxy cluster via the tree. There are three main programs, the Norns Urd, Skuld, and Verdandi, are able to read the source code- basically, time and space- directly from Yggdrasil. There are also thousands of sub-programs, such as Gerðr and her sisters, who can only interface with Yggdrasil through the main programs.”

                Ada nodded along with Jane’s explanation. “But where _are_ they? The Norns, I mean,” she clarified. “I didn’t see anyone else beneath Yggdrasil when it was stolen.”

                “Oh, yes, of course… no one seems to know,” Jane shrugged, obviously not too concerned with their whereabouts. “Apparently, they don’t leave the tree’s side very often, but like you said, there wasn’t anyone else there that night. I think Odin and Thor’s reasoning is that if they get the tree back, the Norns will come back too.”

                Ada frowned and drummed her fingers on the table. Spending her morning in deep conversation was not exactly how she wanted to start the day, not after that dream. She could feel her stomach start to flutter at the slightest thought of it…

                No, best to focus on something else. Like the end of the universe.

                Ada cleared her throat. “Then when is the invasion?”

                “I don’t know that, either,” Jane sulked and rested her chin on one hand. “I’m not allowed to be anywhere near Thor and Odin when they’re planning anymore… not since I corrected Odin on a certain travel calculation. I’ve mostly been locked up in the library, researching.”

                Ada laughed. “Why did he banish you to the library? He should hire you as a strategist!”

                Jane grinned. “That’s exactly what I said! That didn’t go over too well either…” she paused and pondered her next words. “Odin is kind of a… oh, what would be a polite way of saying it… kind of a dick.”

                Ada snorted at Jane’s word choice. “Careful no one hears you say that, or you’ll be locked up like me!”

                “He is, though!” Jane insisted. “You should see how he treats me! I mean, he is a king and all, but would it be too much to ask for him to treat me as something above the level of a rat? The things he says to Thor, when I’m standing _right there_ … ooo, I could slap him!” 

                “Ha! I think you’ve slapped enough members of the Asgardian royal family to last a lifetime!” Ada said through chuckles. “But yeah, from what I’ve heard of Odin, he’s not exactly what I would call a nice guy.”

                Jane raised an eyebrow. “You mean in mythology?”

                “Y-yeah, in mythology,” Ada quickly confirmed _. Certainly not from personal conversations with the god of mischief next door_. “And also, he threatened to kill me the only time I’ve met him.”

                Jane blew a puff of air through pursed lips, making an exasperated sound. “Figures. The one time I get to meet a boyfriend’s parents, and his dad treats me like trash and wants to kill my friend.”

                She and Ada both snickered a little, then broke into full laughter at how absurd the situation was. Although they both felt better for it, the air around them was still heavy with the threat of military action and its unknown outcome.

                However, before either of them could succumb to the bleak mood, Thor’s voice sounded in Ada’s living room. “Jane, my love!”

                Ada whipped her head around to look at Jane, who somehow looked equal parts mortified and delighted. “Using the “L” word now, are we?” Ada asked quietly, smirking and waggling her eyebrows.

                Jane smiled and turned away, blushing deeply. “Just since last night. He actually had to tear a book out of my hands to tell me.”

                Ada snickered as Thor knocked and came into her bedroom. He looked significantly more at ease than when he had initially dropped Jane off, though his eyes seemed tired. He smiled brightly. “Aðalrun, it is a pleasure to see you on this fine day! Jane does so enjoy your company, and I am glad that you two were able to spend some time together.” He rested his hand gently on Jane’s shoulder.

                As Jane beamed up at him, Ada resisted the urge to roll her eyes at their sappiness. “I enjoy her company too,” she said, her tone overly cheerful. “Now you two lovebirds go on, I’m sure you have fields of wildflowers to frolic in.”

                “Love… bird? I have never heard of such a creature!” Thor gave a hearty laugh. “But they sound delightful!”

                “Ah, Jane, I just remembered!” Ada said as Thor guided chain out of her seat. “Could you get me some more paper? My stack is kind of dwindling.”

                Jane gave her a surprised look. “Seriously? Last I saw, you had pretty much a full ream! What have you been doing?”

                Ada rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of a non-committal answer. “Uh, you know… language stuff. Writing. I make an occasional effort at origami… there’s really not much to do.”

                “I wish I could bring you books… you must be miserable up here,” Jane said, concern evident in her voice.

                “Eh, I make do,” Ada shrugged nonchalantly.

                “I shall ensure that you are supplied with more paper,” Thor said, guiding Jane out the door. “Come Jane, mother wishes to show you a rare flower that has recently bloomed in her garden!”

                Jane looked back over her shoulder and waved at Ada. “See you soon!”

                “Have a _lovely_ time in the garden, dear,” Ada said in a British accent. She heard Jane giggle as she passed into the living room and out the front door with Thor.

                Ada heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the heavy front doors bang shut. She hated hiding things from Jane, but figured that her meetings with Loki were the only things keeping her sane at this point; if Jane found out, she would most likely tell Thor, and Thor would probably pass the information on to Odin. Not only would Ada no longer have a (frightfully attractive) Asgardian to study, she would probably also be hauled off to the dungeon.

                Ada folded her arms on the table and laid her head down on them. She slowly closed her eyes, overcome by exhaustion from staying up too late with Loki for the past few days and her interesting but not very restful dream last night. However, as soon as darkness fell inside her eyelids, Loki’s image popped into her mind. He gazed at her with desire and need, and she could almost feel his lips again…

                Ada’s eyes snapped open and she jumped out of her chair so fast she felt dizzy. This did not bode well for tonight’s visit to Loki’s room. She began to pace the floor nervously, fidgeting with the ends of the long green fabric that hung from her shoulders. She imagined they were supposed to function as sleeves, but at the moment, they were just something to keep her hands busy.

                Ada had never been particularly good at hiding her feelings, and she knew that Loki would easily be able to tell that something was off about her that night, even if he weren’t the god of lies. She took a deep breath and plopped herself on the couch in front of the fireplace.

                The only way she could think of to possibly avoid the subject would be to hit Loki with magic-related questions right off the bat. She just hoped she would be able to feign indifference long enough to get the questions out.

                Ada walked over to her bed and retrieved the simple magic book from beneath it. She frowned slightly as she stared at it in her hands; she was feeling more and more like magic was not exactly her cup of tea. For all of Loki’s explaining, and despite the fact that he had actually shown her its composition, it was just a difficult concept to wrap her head around. She wondered if humans had the capability to perform Asgardian magic as she lay down on the bed on her stomach to read.

                In fact, that would probably be a good leading question for Loki. He would balk at the idea of pitiful Midgardians being able to use magic, and probably insult her in the process. That would hopefully bring her to her senses about how silly her feelings for Loki were.

                Ada tried to bury any stray thoughts of the sensation of his arms around her as she focused on reading.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                As she steeled herself to knock on Loki’s door, Ada wondered if she had perhaps had a bit too much mead at dinner. She had indulged more than usual just to calm her nerves in anticipation of her and Loki’s meeting, but she hoped it was not so much that it turned her into a stuttering mess in front of him (or worse, cause her to speak her mind). Her insides were warm and her shoulders somehow felt weak as she pictured him opening the door and inviting her in as usual, only to catch her up in his arms and-

                _Nope. No, no, no_ , Ada shook her head, trying to interrupt her overactive imagination. She hugged the magic book and her new supply of paper to her chest and pulled open her side of the door, knocking loudly on Loki’s side before she could come up with any more fantasies.

                The door whipped open in response to her knocks, causing her to start. Loki stood in front of her in his familiar linen tunic and loose pants, smiling uncharacteristically brightly. He seemed slightly taller though; Ada realized that he was wearing boots.

                “Aðalrun, do come in!” he said enthusiastically, ushering her through the doorway.

                Ada watched him as she entered, her earlier worries replaced by suspicion. Instead of leaving the door open behind her, as he usually did, he closed it and locked it. Now she was _really_ suspicious… and kind of scared.

                “Do not look so concerned, pet,” Loki chuckled as he walked past her. “I have a surprise for you this evening!”

                “I-“ Ada started, but paused when she caught the smell of mead on the air. She frantically worried for a moment that the smell came from her breath, but quickly realized that it simply smelled strongly of mead in Loki’s room. She glanced over to the low table in front of the fireplace in the corner to see a large jug and a tipped silver chalice.

                She turned back to face him and found him standing a few feet away, observing her thoughtfully with his hands tucked behind his back. Oddly though, he pointedly avoided making eye contact with her, turning his head slightly as he fell under her gaze. Did Ada see some color rise to his cheeks, or was it just the flickering light of the fire?

                “I believe we have both spent enough time cooped up in these quarters,” Loki said, turning fully and taking several paces toward the fireplace. He suddenly spun on his heel to face Ada again, smiling deviously. “What do you say we have a night on the town?”

                “A night on the town,” Ada repeated incredulously. “Loki, you said it yourself, your room is heavily shielded. On top of that, there are guards. How exactly would we even get to “the town” to have a night out?” She silently wondered what a “night out” with Loki would even entail.

                “Oh, but don’t you remember the night before last?” he asked, feigning surprise. “When I had to suddenly conceal you, I found the weak thread in the shield!”

                Yes, of course Ada remembered, particularly the part when his arms were around her… _Shut UP, brain_ , she thought angrily, hoping her blush wasn’t too evident.

                “Well, I don’t know how _you_ choose to spend your days,” Loki continued, taking no notice of Ada’s internal turmoil, “But I have not been resting on my laurels! I’ve unraveled Odin’s spell to the point that it is just a heap of ineffective magic. Observe a simple demonstration…”

                He brought a hand from behind his back and rotated his wrist slightly. Ada immediately saw something glimmering out of the corner of her eye, but as she turned to see what it was it disappeared. When she curiously looked back to Loki, she was delighted to find hundreds of stars dancing and twinkling in the air between them. She reached out to touch one, only to have it poof into stardust as soon as it made contact with her finger. She giggled and poked another one.

                “Is this like the spell in the book you gave me?” Ada asked through the cloud of stars.

                “The very one,” Loki said with pride. “Though on a larger scale.”

                He began to walk toward her through the stars. They shimmered and burst as he passed through them, creating showers of sparkles around his form. Ada instinctively took a step back, but Loki caught her still outstretched hand in his own, holding it until he stopped in front of her. He was so close that she had to look up to see his face. Ada blushed deeply and felt her breathing grow uneven, despite her best efforts to keep a handle on her arousal.

                Loki was obviously back to his old self after his strange bout of shyness earlier. “Last night was the best rest I’ve had in years,” he purred, bringing Ada’s hand close to his dangerous mouth. He ghosted a kiss over it, just enough that she could feel the softness of his lips but leaving her wanting more. “It was in no small part thanks to you.”

                Ada’s eyes went wide and she swallowed hard. There was no way he could know about her dream, right? He just slept really well, _right_? But she still had a knot in her stomach.

                Loki let his fingers slip out from under her hand. He smiled slyly at her and turned his back. “After all, you were the one who suggested I sleep.”

                The clarification somehow didn’t make Ada feel any less vulnerable, and in fact brought the dream to the forefront of her thoughts again. So much for unbiased research. She clutched the book and papers tightly, trying to regain her composure. “B-but, even if you’ve disabled the magic in your room, wouldn’t people would recognize us as we tried to leave the palace? And I’m sure people would recognize you in town!”

                “Do not fluff your feathers over such details, little bird,” Loki chuckled as Ada made a face over the new term of endearment. “I have a plan. Come, sit by the fire with me.”

                He sat down on the couch in front of the fire and patted the area next to him. Ada sighed and made her way over, perching uncomfortably on the very edge of the seat, still clutching her book and papers.

                “Now now, I think we can do away with those for the evening,” Loki said, gesturing to Ada’s things. He extended a hand, implying that she should give them to him.

                Ada made a pained face; these were all her notes on Asgardian Proto Norse, and she was hesitant to relinquish them. However, Loki didn’t seem to have a reason to cause harm to them (that she knew of, anyway), so she reluctantly turned them over. She watched him like a hawk as he deposited them on the table in front of them, wincing as he knocked the tipped chalice. She reached out and righted it, placing it as far away from her papers as she could.

                When she turned back to Loki, she found him sitting closer than he had previously been. He concentrated on her with narrowed eyes and slowly extended his hand to cup her cheek. Ada’s face erupted in heat and color once again as she felt his cool touch. She suppressed a whimper as Loki’s hand moved behind her head, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair. She could feel them lightly still as he withdrew them, pulling slightly at the short strands… and pulling, and pulling, and pulling…

                Ada grew confused as Loki brought his hand around to her front, and felt a heavy thump across her shoulder as he withdrew completely. She furrowed her brow, which was somehow a strange feeling, as she reached up to feel what the odd weight suddenly attached to the back of her head was.

                She took the end of it in her hand and brought it up to her face- it was a long golden braid. Her mouth dropped open and she followed it up to where it joined the rest of her hair. She covered her mouth in shock as she looked at Loki for answers, simultaneously realizing that her face was had changed as well. Loki watched her react with devilish glee and magically produced a mirror for her.

                As Ada examined her new face and hair, he proudly crooned, “You could blend in anywhere on Asgard now! One of my best works, if I may say so; it is much harder to dull beauty than it is to create it.”

                Ada quickly looked away, dumbfounded by the indirect compliment and still reeling from observing a face in the mirror that wasn’t her own. She made a few small noises, unsure of what to say.

                Loki laughed at her state of shock. “Now for me,” he said, whizzing his hand in front of his face and over the top of his head. He shimmered for a moment as his features molded themselves into those of a ruddy-faced, bearded blond man. His eyes, however, remained their natural shade of effervescent green.

                “Wow,” Ada said quietly. She resisted reaching out to touch Loki’s new face to see if it was as real as hers.

                Loki rose and offered his hand to help her up. She hesitantly accepted, and realized she was right to be cautious when he did not let go after she stood. Instead, he led her in the direction of the door to his living quarters while she tried not to blush herself into oblivion. Despite Loki’s unfamiliar looks, his hands maintained their shape and soothingly cool temperature.

                “You have been quiet this evening,” he mused as they walked.

                “I was… just… ready to do some more elicitations,” Ada said haltingly. “I wasn’t expecting all this.”

                Loki chuckled. “What kind of a surprise would it be if you were expecting it?”

                They stopped before the door and turned to two large closed doors on the left that Ada hadn’t noticed before. Loki released her hand and threw them open, revealing an almost disturbingly large wardrobe. “We can’t have you wandering about the city in palace finery,” Loki explained as he stepped forward to examine the vast array of clothing. He reached into the very back of the closet and retrieved a well-worn forest green cloak with small golden metal clips around its edges. “This was mine when I was young. I believe it will fit you.”

                Ada gingerly took the cloak from him and held it in her arms. Although it looked slightly ragged, it was still softer than any material from earth. She draped it around herself, finding that it hid everything except the hem of her lighter green dress. Her newly blond braid stood out against the dark color.

                Loki looked her up and down, stroking his chin. “Perfect!” he exclaimed before pulling out a larger blue cloak for himself. It featured the same golden metal clips as Ada’s.

                He threw the cloak around himself as he opened the door to his living room, striding confidently forward. Ada quickly walked after him, calling softly, “But the guards!”

                “Already dealt with!” Loki turned to face her before opening the front doors. “They were relieved of their duties earlier than usual tonight, to be replaced with more… agreeable individuals.”

                Ada raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you can trust them?”

                “Of course I can!” Loki laughed. “They are my illusions, after all!”

                Ada barely had a chance to process Loki’s handiwork before he abruptly pulled her into an embrace. He tilted her chin up to look him in the eyes, and he smirked characteristically despite the blond beard. Although she knew it was still him beneath the disguise, she found herself missing Loki’s refined features and dark hair; he looked far too much like Thor this way. But looking into his dancing green eyes still gave her the same butterflies.

                “Tonight, you are my dutiful wife Dagmar,” Loki purred, his lips close to her face. “And I am your loving husband Bjorn.”

                Ada nodded slowly. “Bjorn,” she repeated, unable to bring forth any more words.

                Loki smiled and pulled away from her, placing his hand on the enormous wooden doors. He looked over his shoulder at Ada as he pushed them open. “Shall we?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

This chapter is double the length, to make up for the fact that I missed an update last week! Enjoy!

 

               

                Ada let out a sigh of relief when she and Loki finally slipped out of one of the palace’s side doors. They had miraculously not been spotted by the einherjar while sneaking through the palace halls, though Loki assured her he had a contingency plan for such an occurrence. She dreaded to think what the plan might be.

                Loki grinned at her from under his golden beard. “Enjoying the freedom from the confinement of your quarters?”

                Ada had made herself small against wall of the palace, eyes darting about for signs of guards. She knew no one would recognize them in their disguises, but she didn’t want to be caught wandering the grounds at night. On top of that, she was beginning to heavily question Loki’s motivation behind their excursion; his enthusiasm made her wary.

                Loki, observing her paranoid actions, rolled his eyes. “Suspicious as ever, I see.”

                Ada’s knitted brow confirmed his observation.

                “Wondering if this is all part of an elaborate coup?”

                Ada’s lips formed a thin line. “Pretty much.”

                “And if it were?” Loki smirked, goading her on.

                Ada looked him in the eye. Finding a lack of obvious malice there, she relaxed slightly and replied, “Well, at least you’re starting it outside our bedrooms.”

                Loki laughed heartily at her confident words. “Come, pet,” he offered his arm. “Let’s go into town.”

                Ada hesitated for a moment, but quickly gave in and slipped her arm through his. If Loki weren’t in disguise she thought her stomach might’ve exploded with butterflies, but she found it easier to subdue her feelings when he was blond and bearded.

                As they walked the winding stone path that led away from the palace and around a large lake, a gust of cold wind rustled their cloaks. Ada had only ever been outside in Asgard during the day, and she suddenly understood the presence of so many fireplaces within her and Loki’s quarters. She found herself wondering if Loki felt the cold in the same way she did; after all, he was a frost giant, and seemed to be able to freeze at least liquid at will. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became, but the memory of his violent outburst at the mere mention of his heritage silenced any questions she might have before they could leave her lips.

                She glanced at Loki out of the corner of her eye. He seemed quite pleased with himself, a hint of a smile showing through his beard and his gaze fixed on the lights of the city ahead.

                Try as she might, Ada couldn’t begin to fathom what would prompt Loki to want “a night on the town”, unless he actually meant something along the lines of a night of _subjugating_ the town. The only other explanation (and it wasn’t much of an explanation, really) was that Loki was just sneaking out of the palace simply because he _could_. The image of a young Loki quietly darting through the palace and escaping through some secret door suddenly popped into her mind and she giggled softly. Ada supposed this was really no different for him than when she snuck out of the house when she was a teenager and grounded… although there was no threat of execution in her case.

                “Something funny, my darling wife?” Loki asked smoothly, observing her as they walked.

                Ada flushed slightly at the sudden sound of his voice, and it took her a moment to realize that she was the darling wife that he was talking about. “Oh, I was just, well… wondering how often you did this.”

                “Did what?” Loki asked innocently. “Blatantly ignoring my sentence of house arrest for the foreseeable future and sneaking out of the palace with a fellow prisoner from another realm? It’s one of my favorite hobbies, actually.”

                His sarcastic response prompted Ada to roll her eyes. “You just seem to be a veteran at side doors and guard avoidance.”

                Loki’s smile widened. “Indeed. The Allfather did not approve of us going outside the palace walls unaccompanied, so Thor and I-“ he paused and a pained look flitted across his face. Ada could feel his arm tense slightly before he continued. “We would often steal away right under the noses of the incompetent einherjar. It appears their ineptitude has persisted through the many years since those days.”

                Ada looked down at her feet under the pretense of making sure she didn’t trip on the increasingly uneven path, but in reality she simply didn’t know how to reply to what Loki said. On the surface, it was simply a memory of his childhood; his body language, however, said otherwise. They hadn’t spoken much about any events before New York (other than Loki’s short outburst about his apparent political manipulation at the hands of Odin). However, it was becoming more apparent that, despite Loki’s efforts to act otherwise, he truly did cherish Odin and Thor as members of his family at some point in the fairly recent past. She squeezed his arm lightly in what she hoped was a comforting way.

                Ada’s squeeze suddenly got a lot tighter as a man walked past them, leaving the town. She hadn’t realized how close the buildings had become!

                Loki patted Ada’s hand on his arm. “Now now,” he tutted. “We are disguised, remember? No one has any reason to harbor any suspicion toward us- unless our actions indicate otherwise,” he said pointedly.

                Ada nodded in silence as their path became a roughly cobbled street. She tried to resist the urge to gawk at the splendid buildings rising up around her, their metallic exteriors glimmering in what appeared to be synthetic torchlight. She was reasonably successful; the few people they passed didn’t bat an eye at the Asgardian couple walking arm in arm.

                As the buildings grew taller and more magnificent, Ada’s efforts to not be dazzled by her surroundings were failing. She made a disappointed sound when Loki steered her down a side street, but figured it was probably for the best. This road was narrower and more dimly lit than the thoroughfare they had turned off of, and Ada noticed the ground had begun to slope downward slightly. She looked to Loki for some hint of where they were going, but was disappointed when he purposely avoided her gaze, smirking to himself.

                They abruptly turned down yet another side street, although this one could hardly be called anything more than an alley. The path become more curving and its slope more extreme, and Ada soon found herself looking up at buildings they had just been walking between. The glitter of the town rose further and further above rough and ancient-looking stone walls.

                Ada raised an eyebrow at Loki, but he still gave no response. As they wound their way deeper into the heart of the city, she became aware of a distant clamor. It grew louder around every corner they turned, and she soon recognized it as raucous laughter and shouting.

                The path simultaneously leveled out and deposited them into a large opening. The new area was like a city within the city; however, instead of a multitude of graceful and imposing structures, it contained a crowd of sturdy but friendly looking stone buildings. The light from fireplaces within them cast a dancing glow onto the street where several groups of people carried on conversations with tankards in their hands and smiles on their faces.

                “This is the old town,” Loki said softly into Ada’s ear. His beard tickled, and she had to resist the urge to push him away. “While the palace dungeons were the first thing to be constructed in Asgard, these pubs were the second. Says a lot about the people of this realm, really.”

                Ada chuckled quietly as Loki continued to lead her forward. They skirted the first pub, Loki nodding and smiling to the cheerful patrons, and entered the one that stood right beside it. Music and merriment filled Ada’s ears even before they crossed the threshold; someone sang and played a stringed instrument in the back of the room while tankards crashed to the ground with shouts of “Another!”

                She had Loki pegged as someone who would frequent Asgardian coffee shops (if such a thing were to exist), not as someone who would sneak out in the dead of night to a bar. This really didn’t seem like the type of recreational activity Loki would enjoy, but here they were- there had to be some ulterior motive at work on his part.

                “Barmaid!” a gruff and jolly voice boomed next to her. She whipped her head around to find the source of the voice, and was shocked to find it was emerging from Loki. “Two ales for the table in the corner, dear!”

                “Coming right up, love!” an equally jolly female voice responded. Loki gave a friendly wave in the woman’s direction, but Ada couldn’t see her through the crowd of jovial patrons.

                Loki removed Ada’s hand from his arm and took it in his own, maneuvering her toward the table in the corner he had mentioned. It was very small and well worn, and two plain stools were huddled underneath it. He swept one stool out with his foot and gestured for Ada to sit. “After you, darling,” he said in his normal, silky voice.

                “Thank you… sweetie,” she said hesitantly as she sat. The stool was just as hard as it looked and she shifted uncomfortably as Loki plopped down gracelessly beside her. “You’re really getting into character,” she muttered in his direction.

                “I am only striving to immerse myself in the behavior of these commoners,” he whispered smartly. “I see you have had no such trouble.”

                Ada smiled in spite of herself and rolled her eyes. She could always trust Loki for insults, even if trusting him for anything else was kind of a gamble.

                She leaned an elbow on the table and watched the ebb and flow of the crowd within the pub. It was a lovely, warm atmosphere; several men spoke in animated tones in front of a large hearth and mixed groups sat at several long tables. Smaller tables like Loki and Ada’s dotted the room, but they were being used more as glorified drink stands rather than something to sit at. The musician seemed to be leading the people in the back of the room in some raucous yet melodic drinking song.

                The thump of two heavy earthenware tankards on the table made Ada jump. “Your ales, my dears!” a portly, grinning redheaded woman said, wiping her hands on her apron.

                Loki returned her grin and lifted his tankard to her. “Cheers!” he said in his false voice as he lifted the cup to his lips. Ada smiled weakly and wrapped her hands around her own tankard. She almost had to strain to lift it, but she managed to take a gulp of ale without dropping it in her lap.

                The redheaded woman looked at Loki curiously as he knocked back about half of his drink in one go. “Say… I don’t think I’ve seen you two in here before…” she began, obviously concentrating on trying to place Loki and Ada’s faces. Ada swallowed hard.

                Loki chuckled and unceremoniously set his tankard back on the table, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “I’m Bjorn and this is my wife Dagmar,” he gestured to Ada, who was gripping her ale tightly. “We usually go to Ingolfr’s place down the way, but when we heard Bragi was here this evening, we decided to change out plans.”

                Ada tried to drown her gasp of surprise with a swig of her drink. The woman paid her no mind and laughed heartily. “Of course! I can always count on new faces when Bragi graces us with his presence. Maybe you’ll even stick around after he leaves… I think you’ll find you can get more drink for your money here!”

                Loki laughed as well. “We appreciate your hospitality!” he said, raising his drink again. The woman nodded and bustled off to serve the next customer. The smile melted off Loki’s face as soon as she was out of sight.

                “ _Loki_ ,” Ada hissed through clenched teeth. “Is Bragi really here?”

                “Of course he is!” Loki said, his true voice refreshing to Ada’s ears after his false boisterous one. He smirked. “Surprised?”

                Ada’s face lit up. “Surprised? Is that why you brought me here? To meet him?” Her expression suddenly morphed to one of fear. “You’re not going to kill him, are you?”

                This time, Loki’s hearty laugh was genuine. “Goodness no!” he exclaimed, taking another drink. “This is hardly an ideal place for an assassination. Too many witnesses, even if we are in disguise.”

                Ada wasn’t sure if she was reassured by Loki’s words or not, but a wary smile reappeared on her lips. “Then…?”

                “Yes yes, I brought you here to experience his… _talents_ for yourself,” he waved his hand nonchalantly. “So you can understand what a waste of magic he is. He has been in the back plucking that damned lyre since we came into this _charming_ establishment.”

                Ada ignored Loki’s disapproving words and craned her neck to try to see the source of the music through the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Loki make some subtle hand gestures- people suddenly began to part in front of her, seemingly of their own free will, but obviously with some magical nudging. Finally, there were only two people still milling about in front of the lyre player, and when they cleared the way-

                Ada felt all the blood drain from her face. Bragi, cradling the lyre and singing happily, looked strikingly similar to her father. She blinked and took a deep breath.

                Not _exactly_ like her father; his build was far different and his features were more defined, almost exaggerated. His nose and cheeks were round and ruddy, and wrinkles from centuries of smiling branched out from the sides of his eyes. There was also the enormous brown beard and long hair pulled back into a bundle of braids- her father had always been clean cut and shaven.

                Ada became aware of Loki watching her carefully. “Not what you were expecting?” he purred.

                She still wasn’t used to his voice coming from behind that bushy facial hair, and it threw her for a moment. “That’s Bragi?” she asked, even though the answer was obvious. Loki nodded slightly. “He just looks really… familiar…” she trailed off, watching Bragi happily carry on singing.

                “ _Does_ he?” Loki drawled, his voice devoid of emotion. However, his emerald eyes twinkled as he continued to observe her.

                The crowd slowly began to refill in the magic-induced gap, and Ada lost sight of Bragi. She chewed her lip and tried to calm her flip flopping stomach.

                The last time she saw her father he was emaciated and pale, lying in a hospital bed. That was three years ago; he passed the next day. Since then, Ada had kept a picture of herself and her father by the side of her bed, to try to replace the image in her mind of the weak form she saw in the hospital. Seeing someone who looked so similar to him at his healthiest created a whirlpool of emotions in Ada’s heart and mind.

                She was brought out of her reverie by a cool hand on her arm. “Are you alright?” Loki asked quietly, with a distinct lack of sarcasm. “You have become terribly pale.”

                “Yes yes, fine,” Ada said quickly, reaching for her tankard. She took several noisy gulps of ale, trying to force herself back into reality.

                “Good,” Loki said, leaning back and removing his hand from her arm. “I would have an extremely difficult time explaining why my Asgardian wife, who is impervious to sickness, took ill in a pub.”

                Ada laughed. “Maybe I’m pregnant with your Asgardian baby.”

                “In that case, you shouldn’t be drinking ale,” Loki said, playfully pulling her tankard to his side of the table.

                Ada stuck out her tongue with a smile and reached out to reclaim her mug. Like the incident with the _te_ the night before, Loki had positioned his hands to touch hers as she grasped the drink, and he ran his fingers lightly over the back of her hand as she scooted it back in her own direction. She blushed slightly, happy to be distracted from gloomy memories.

                Loki grinned wolfishly and downed the rest of his ale. When he set the mug down on the table, his moustache was dripping wet; he had to wipe it on his sleeve again. “Ugh, I don’t know how Thor drinks to the extent he does with this blasted _thing_ around his mouth,” he said in an exasperated tone, framing the beard with his hands. He began to pull at it thoughtfully. “But he never was one for manners or grace.”

                Ada nodded and smirked. “I’ve seen him eat, I know what you mean.”

                Loki chuckled and crossed his arms on the table. “You have seen nothing until you witness him and his Warriors Three feasting after a battle. I believe it would be beyond even my magical abilities to conjure enough food and drink to satisfy them.”

                Ada giggled. Loki certainly was talkative tonight; normally, that might be cause for concern, but given the empty mead pitcher in his room and the fact that he had already gone through a large tankard of ale, there seemed to be a reasonable explanation for his chattiness. She again thought of how this was a side of Loki she hadn’t expected- however, he did seem to have a knack for defying her expectations. From basically kidnapping her to giving her access to his language, Loki always seemed to be doing something that kept her on her toes (in a mostly good way).

                “Come around to my side of the table, darling,” Loki said melodically. “I’ll show you the Bragi that I see.”

                Ada picked up her stool and walked it around to Loki. As she sat and arranged her cloak around her, Loki hooked his foot through one of the stool’s legs and yanked her closer so that she was almost lying on his chest. Ada tensed and forced herself not to look into Loki’s eyes, lest she blush herself to death.

                “My wife is so cold to me!” Loki chuckled. “Now, close one eye as you did before. Be warned, what you see may be a bit of a shock to your mortal senses.”

                “I’ll be fine,” Ada sighed, rolling her eyes. She closed her right eye and immediately felt his fingers on her temple.

                Instead of gently appearing in one area as it had in Loki’s quarters, the now visible magic seemed to suddenly explode and fill the room with blinding light. Ada had to squint and lean back into Loki slightly to try to somehow dim the brightness.

                “I did tell you,” he whispered into her ear, smiling. The feeling of his prickly facial hair on her cheek encouraged her to sit up straight again.

                She was slowly becoming accustomed to the new atmosphere, and she soon realized that what seemed like a room of solid light was actually a sea of sparkling, swirling tendrils that seemed to dance across the entire pub. She held her hand up in front of her face; thin strands of golden light worked their way through her fingers and around her palm. She smiled, turning it this way and that, watching the strands appear to squirm about.

                Thick ropes of magic continued to erupt from the back of the room, continually renewing themselves. Ada assumed the source must be Bragi, but he had long since been obscured by the crowd.

                Wispy threads of smoky green magic began to snake along the ground towards the god, and people began to step out of the way, although it was invisible to them. _Ah, this must be the same spell Loki used before_ , Ada thought. And indeed, she once again had a clear line of sight to Bragi, who was now reciting a poem in a booming voice.

                Bathed in magic, he looked much less familiar than before. Ada figured that his resemblance to her father must have been caused by the light and her lack of sleep. The magic appeared to emanate from his very skin, and large clouds of it burst forth from his mouth as he projected the poetry. It looked rather strange, really; the effect was similar to being able to see a person’s breath in the cold.

                “Do you understand now why he infuriates me so?” Loki asked quietly. Ada could hear the venom in his voice. “Bragi’s magical ability has the potential to be shaped into a power to rival even Odin’s, and he spends his days rambling through poems in pubs.”

                “I would’ve thought that would suit you just fine,” Ada whispered back. “Unless you want competition?”

                “Competition?” Loki spat. “For what? Most witless oaf in Asgard? I think Thor is the winner in that area, I can hardly measure up to he and Bragi’s-“

                “ _For the throne_ ,” Ada interrupted. “Isn’t that what you wanted before New York? To rule Asgard?”

                Loki withdrew his fingers from her temple, leaving her almost blind in the relative darkness of the room without magic. Opening her other eye only made her vision worse- everything seemed too bright on that side. She pushed her stool back slightly and turned to face Loki. Even with her warped sight, she could see he was scowling.

                “Indeed,” he said quietly. “That _was_ once what I wanted.”

                Ada could’ve hit herself then. _Way to go_ , she thought, _completely ruin the mood of the evening_. She half expected him to stand up and leave her there, his expression had become so dark.

                Ada jumped as his hand shot out and snatched his empty tankard from the table. He roughly tossed it over his shoulder and it shattered into several pieces against the wall. “ANOTHER!” he shouted in his false voice, his mouth cracking into a wide smile.

                The men by the fire gave a cheer of encouragement and returned to their conversation. Ada laughed nervously, trying to quell the fear rushing through her veins. That sure was an interesting way to change the subject.

                “No more talk of the past tonight, pet,” Loki said gently, patting her hand. “We’re out on the town tonight, remember? Don’t make me regret creating this ridiculous beard.”

                Ada giggled. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, “you know how carried away I get sometimes. And anyway, I think the beard suits you!”

                Loki’s mouth hung open in honest shock. “You _don’t_ ,” he choked.

                Ada guffawed at the look on his face and tried to regain her composure by finishing off her ale. Her laughs echoed into the tankard.

                “Hello,” a sultry feminine voice said in front of them. Ada faced front to see a buxom blonde in an apron setting a new drink on the table. “I believe someone ordered another ale?” Her two braids tumbled over her shoulders as she leaned closer to Loki.

                “Thank you, good woman!” Loki said cheerily, pulling the tankard across the table.

                “My pleasure,” she smiled and batted her eyes at him. “Let me know if you need _anything_ else.”

                Ada was amused by how Asgardian bar flirting seemed to be the same as earth flirting. She was so amused in fact that she only noticed at the last moment that Loki’s arms had snaked around her waist and were tugging her roughly to him. Before she knew it, she was off of her stool and in his lap, completely bewildered. As she turned to look at him for an explanation, he cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her.

                It was a fairly brief kiss, but it was quite passionate. As his lips separated from hers, she could still feel her face prickling from being poked by his beard. Ada was rendered speechless more from the action than from anything else; after all, it was her rosy faced husband Bjorn who kissed her, not the darkly handsome god Loki.

                He turned to the now sour-faced barmaid and smiled. “Perhaps my wife would like another ale as well.”

                “Coming right up,” the woman sighed, turning on her heel and marching off toward the bar.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                “I cannot _believe_ you!” Ada said through laughter as she and Loki walked up the city streets. “How many women tried to hit on you tonight? Three or four? If you weren’t _married_ ,” she said sarcastically with air quotes, “You would’ve been one happy camper tonight!”

                Loki smiled to himself. “It was an odd experience, I must admit. Perhaps the beard does suit me.”

                They both laughed and Loki offered Ada his arm. She took it without hesitation, and they walked happily in silence until they rounded the palace lake.

                When they reached the side door, Loki pressed his palm over the keyhole and it unlocked with a small pop. He held one finger over his lips in a shushing motion as he guided her inside.

                Ada had absolutely no concept of time at the moment. They may have been in the pub for thirty minutes or several hours, she couldn’t be sure. But, she realized suddenly, she really didn’t care; after all, no one would realize she was missing from her room until the maids came in, and that was well after the sun came up. The moon-planets still shone brightly through the vaulted windows of the palace, so she wasn’t concerned.

                Loki’s einherjar illusions didn’t bat an eye as they slipped back into Loki’s quarters. Ada toddled over to the fountain couch and plopped down as Loki quietly pulled the front door shut. She sighed happily, full of ale and laughter.

                Loki sat down next to her and ran his hand over his face and hair. His beard shimmered away and he regained his sharp handsomeness. “Ahhh,” he exhaled, rubbing his bare cheeks and grinning.

                Ada chuckled. “Me next!” she said, leaning closer to him. “My head hurts from carrying this braid around all night!”

                Loki smirked and took the braid in his hand. It dissipated, and Ada immediately felt lighter. She ran her fingers through the back of her short hair and smiled at the familiar feeling. Loki then waved his hand in front of her face and Ada once again had the odd sensation of her features being reshaped.

                However, although Ada could feel that her face was back to normal, Loki’s hand returned to her cheek. After all the little bits of contact with his skin lately, she was getting used to his natural coolness and actually found some comfort in it.

                She turned to him and smiled, but was caught off guard by his serious expression.

                “Aðalrun,” he said softly. “I apologize for kissing you tonight without your consent. I hope you understand that I meant no offence by it.”

                Ada’s eyes widened and she waved her hands. “Oh, no! Don’t worry about it! I totally get it, I think the situation probably called for it and-“

                “Please allow me to make it up to you by kissing you properly,” he said. His eyes shone in earnest.

                Ada felt her face grow hot and knew that Loki probably felt it too. She struggled to find words for a moment, but eventually she gave up and gave a very small nod.

                The corners of Loki’s mouth twitched up into a grin as he gently urged her toward him. He went slowly, painfully slowly for Ada, and when their lips finally met it was a sweet release. The kiss was almost unbearably gentle, but she could feel the potential power of his mouth. She let out a tiny moan when he pulled away.

                Loki pressed another kiss to her forehead before standing and offering Ada his hand. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I think that is a good way to end the night, wouldn’t you say?”

                “I-I-“ Ada stuttered, taking his hand and standing. “Y-yeah, I agree.” Her legs desperately wanted to buckle underneath her but she remained upright through shear willpower.

                They walked hand in hand into Loki’s bedroom, stopping at the adjoining door. Loki only released his hold on her when he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

                “Goodnight, Aðalrun,” he said in a low voice. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

                “G-goodnight,” Ada answered weakly. She smiled. “Me too.”

                She backed into her room slowly, watching Loki close his door. Suddenly, something occurred to her. “Oh, Loki!” she called after him quietly. “I left my notes, can I-“

                Before Ada could even begin to process what was going on, Loki had pulled open his door roughly and grabbed her by the waist. He whisked her back into his room and pressed her forcefully up against the wall, kissing her almost desperately.

                She squeaked in a mix of shock and pleasure as Loki’s tongue forced her lips apart and mingled with her own. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly, loving the feeling of his body pressed to hers.

                He growled and bit Ada’s lip gently, running a hand up her shoulder and neck to become tangled in her hair. She moaned passionately into his kiss, which seemed to encourage him. He held her even tighter, and she felt his hips shift against hers.

                Ada was somewhat surprised when Loki suddenly broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. They were both breathing heavily and Ada could see something dark and intense flashing in Loki’s green eyes.

                “Aðalrun,” he breathed, his voice low and uneven. “Your notes…”

                “Don’t care,” Ada said quickly, locking her gaze with his. Actually, she really did care, but at the moment passionately kissing a god was far above linguistics on her list of priorities.

                Loki untangled his hand from her hair to stroke her cheek. “No,” he said hesitantly. “I shouldn’t do anything rash.”

                “Maybe I _want_ you to do something rash,” Ada whispered.

                Loki chuckled and kissed her again. “Yes, I believe you do! But not tonight, not while our senses are dulled by drink.”

                Ada made a frustrated sound, but she could see where he was coming from. And besides being slightly tipsy, she was rather exhausted- probably too exhausted to be at her best in any bedroom activities other than sleeping.

                “Do not fret, sweetling,” Loki purred. “I shall fulfill your heart’s desire soon enough. But for now…“ he broke away from her and retrieved her notes and writing supplies from the table, “You must sleep.”

                He offered them to Ada, who was still leaning against the wall, and she took them reluctantly. She pushed herself up to stand properly and gave Loki a mischievous grin. “I’ll hold you to that!”

                “I hope you do,” Loki said, matching her expression. “Now, to bed with you! I find it very hard to concentrate with you in my room.”

                “Apparently,” Ada giggled as she backed toward the door for the second time that evening. “Tomorrow then?”

                “Tomorrow,” Loki said, reaching out to touch her cheek once more before closing his door with a click.

                Ada closed her own door quietly and dumped her things onto her table. She threw herself into the bed and giggled herself to sleep. When the maids entered her room the next morning, they found her sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a worn green cloak and smiling.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note: the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the "th" in the word "them"

"I honestly have no idea what to do with you," Drifa sighed, undoing the back of Ada's dress that she was still wearing from the night before. Finished, she strode over to the bed and picked up Loki's green cloak from its resting place. "And wherever did you find this? Not only is it a man's cloak, it is more ragged than the clothes you arrived in!"

Ada held her now loose dress up to her chest with one hand and reached out for the cloak with the other. Drifa glowered at her, but allowed her to take it. Ada hugged it to her. "I, um, found it in the back of my wardrobe. It just looked so warm and snuggly that I couldn't resist wearing it. Maybe it belongs to whoever stayed here last?"

"Perhaps," Drifa said dryly. She arched an eyebrow. "If you are so chilled in the evenings that you must remain dressed and wrapped in a cloak, I shall talk to the palace decorators. They can install a firepit near your bed if necessary."

"N-no, really, I'm fine," Ada said, backing toward the bathroom. "I just get so tired at night, I forget to take off my clothes!" That wasn't a complete lie.

Drifa hummed disapprovingly and turned to busy herself while Ada showered. By the time she was washed, Drifa had selected a maroon dress and dark bronze breastplate for her, and she dressed her without saying a word.

Ada couldn't be sure (due to Drifa's constant air of disapproving indifference), but it almost seemed like she was mad at her. She felt guilty and hoped she hadn't broken some Asgardian social rule she wasn't aware of.

"I'll see you this evening, my lady," Drifa said, inclining her head slightly and walking toward the bedroom door.

"Th-thanks Drifa!" Ada called after her. "I mean, for everything. Thanks for being so helpful."

Drifa turned her head to the point where she could see Ada out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth twitched into an extremely faint smile as she shut the bedroom door.

Ada smiled after her and sighed in relief. She flopped onto her bed next to Loki's cloak, which Drifa had laid out neatly. She pulled it over her like a blanket and inhaled deeply, savoring the fragrance of ale and firewood mixed subtly with Loki's own scent of foresty sweetness. Closing her eyes, she replayed Loki's passionate kiss over and over in her mind until she felt like she would burst.

She stood up and wrapped the cloak around her, but pushed it back over her shoulders so that it hung behind her like a cape. She walked over to her dressing mirror and observed herself, turning this way and that, watching it move with her skirt. She thought the color combination of the green cloak with her dress made her look slightly Christmas-y, but she didn't care.

When Jane came to visit that afternoon, Ada was still wearing it, though she had thrown it over the back of her chair to work. When she stood up to greet her, the chair toppled over under the weight of the garment, causing Jane to laugh loudly.

"What's with the, um… new accessory?" she asked through giggles, looking Ada up and down.

"Oh hush!" Ada said indignantly, righting her chair and sitting down again. "I just felt like being creative!"

"Well, to each their own," Jane said, taking a seat as well. "How's the captive life treating you today?"

"You know, same old, same old. Pace my cell all day until they bring me bread and butter," Ada joked.

Jane scoffed. "Bread and butter? I wish! I feel like I've gone through a lifetime of Thanksgivings in less than a week."

"You know, I'm surprised we haven't eaten anything… _alien_ yet," Ada said, wiggling her fingers in a slightly menacing way. "Everything we've had seems pretty… well, normal! Cows and birds and pigs and stuff."

Jane nodded. "I've been half expecting dinner these past couple of days to include a side of bilgesnipe, the way Thor goes on about them. It seems like a pretty big deal to bag one, although I can't figure out what they do with them afterwards. I assume you eat them."

Ada leaned her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. "I dunno, I've heard some people keep them as pets," she said thoughtfully, fondly recalling she and Loki's botched game of twenty questions. Of course, the evening kind of went south from there, but still-

"And where did you hear that?" Jane's eyebrow shot up. "God knows I haven't been able to get a peep out of the maids that tidy Thor's room… have you actually had a conversation with one?"

Ada shuffled her papers nervously as an involuntary blush colored her face. "No, I-" She stopped and immediately broke into a cold sweat. A large part of her desperately wanted to be honest with Jane, to spill everything, to squeal like a thirteen year old girl over their Asgardian crushes (well, jotun in Ada's case). But telling her would possibly put both of them in danger; if Odin knew of Ada and Loki's visits, it might give him enough grounds to have she and Jane executed for "threatening the realm", or at the very least thrown in the dungeons. She chewed her lip anxiously.

"Your guards then? They don't exactly seem up for a casual chat either," Jane said, trying to work through the possibilities in her head. Suddenly, she laughed. "Loki's room is next door, did he tell you?" she asked sarcastically.

The sarcasm was too much for Ada's worried mind to handle. The tone of the question flew by unnoticed, to be processed as a serious enquiry. Ada felt herself go pale.

Jane stopped mid-laugh, observing Ada's reaction. A wry grin appeared on her face. "Yeah right, like you actually…" When Ada's expression didn't change, the grin fell away. "You cannot be serious… Ada, tell me you're not serious."

Ada smiled timidly, which was all the answer that Jane needed.

"Are you out of your _mind_?!" Jane almost yelled, standing up. "How can- but he-"

_This is going about as well as I thought it would_ , Ada thought. She kept smiling, hoping Jane's initial freak out would soon be tempered to a gentle disbelief.

"Ada, it's a miracle you're still alive!" Jane said, bending over the table to look her in the eye.

"He's not that bad, really…" Ada started.

" _Not that bad_?!" Jane squeaked. "He leveled downtown New York!"

Ada avoided her gaze. "Well, I mean, technically that wasn't him, right? Thor said he was under some sort of evil influence at the time, and Loki mentioned it as well." She strategically omitted how he said it had amplified feelings that were already there.

"Oh my god, you're defending him?" Jane threw her arms up in disgust. "Is he threatening you? Using mind control?"

Ada chuckled lightly, drawing a glare from Jane. "No, we just… accidentally bumped into each other on our balconies and he gave me some books… Look, I'm pretty sure he means well-"

Jane heaved an exasperated sigh. "Ada, did no one ever tell you not to take candy from strangers?"

"Oh come on, he's not coercing me with books." Ada rolled her eyes.

Jane gave her a deadpan look. "Language stuff too, then?"

"Well, yes, but- he's not coercing me at all is what I'm trying to say," Ada said, rubbing the back of her head. "I just really like talking to him. He's so interesting! He's been telling me all this stuff about magic and it's absolutely _fascinating_. And the _data_ I've been getting from him!" Ada waved her hands over her notes with gravitas, her eyes sparkling. "I could write a second dissertation with this stuff!"

"If you live that long," Jane muttered, sitting back down heavily.

"I'm, er, pretty sure he's not harboring any animosity toward me," _ESPECIALLY after last night_ , Ada finished in her mind.

"Pretty sure," Jane repeated sourly, rolling her eyes so hard that her head tilted slightly. She sighed. "Okay… okay. I can see where you're coming from, I really can, and I'm not gonna lie… I would probably be tempted to do the same thing if I were in your situation."

Ada's face brightened at her words, but Jane continued. "That doesn't make it any less of a completely horrible decision!"

Ada puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Jane, I value your opinion, but you're just gonna have to trust me! Besides, what kind of vacation would this be if I didn't make a couple of bad decisions?"

Jane chuckled in spite of herself. "If your idea of a vacation is to be under house arrest on an alien planet, remind me never to travel with you." She sighed again. "Really though, just be careful, alright? I know Thor still sees some good in him, and that's reassuring, but it doesn't exactly make up for what he did before."

"Thanks, mom," Ada said dryly.

"I'm not even going to ask about how you guys have been sneaking around to meet each other… I'm sure it's either dangerous or illegal. Probably both," Jane shrugged.

"Not so much dangerous as illegal," Ada laughed. "The less you know the better, probably, just in case they catch me. If I wind up in the dungeon, it would be nice to have some company, but I don't think that would be an ideal situation."

Jane looked away suddenly and nibbled her lip. "What about Thor? I probably shouldn't mention it to him for that same reason."

Ada looked away as well. "Yeeeah, that would be for the best I think. I'm not sure he would appreciate my flagrant law breaking, though I have a feeling that he would kind of expect it out of Loki."

Jane mimed zipping her lips shut and Ada smiled. "Thanks," she said sincerely. "I know you probably don't want to keep secrets from him, but just know that Loki and I aren't plotting to overthrow Asgard or anything."

"Well that's comforting," Jane scoffed. "So, moving on in order to avoid becoming a conspirator, do you want to hear about some awesome Asgardian electromagnetic theory?"

"Do I ever!" Ada giggled, leaning back in her chair. She would certainly be lost after the first couple of sentences, but oh well; science ramblings tended to indicate a happy Jane, and she was thankful for that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ada fiddled with her dress one more time before knocking on Loki's door, spreading a wrinkle out of her skirt. She was nervous, a hundred times more nervous than the first time she visited him; in a way, tonight she knew even less of what to expect. She had mentally prepared for the worst- the chance that Loki was simply feeling the effects of the ale last night, and had no intention of following through on his honeyed promises. It was for that reason that she clutched Loki's books and her notes to her chest as usual. If things didn't go well in the sexy department, at least they could get some work done.

She exhaled slowly and walked toward the connecting door, her borrowed cloak dragging behind her slightly on the floor. She made one final effort to clear the butterflies from her stomach and opened her side of the doors.

Mercifully, Loki answered his door only a moment after she knocked, saving her from further agonizing over the visit. To her surprise, he was wearing something other than what she always assumed were pajamas; his shirt was of what looked like a very high quality green cotton and a panel of black leather covered his upper chest, accented with a curved gold inlay. He wore leather wrist bracers as well, and the leather pants Ada remembered from her dream.

"Hello, pet," he purred softly.

Ada looked him up and down and smiled, trying to conceal a blush. "You look nice! What's the occasion?"

Loki chuckled warmly. "The occasion, of course, is your visit this evening," he said as he extended his arm into the room in a welcoming motion.

"Ha," she laughed stiffly, taking a few ginger steps into the room. She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or serious, but either possibility was rather mortifying.

"And why have you brought along all of these…" he gestured to the books and notes that Ada clutched tightly, " _Things_?"

"Well I need to return these books to you, I think I've taken all the notes I can from them, and maybe I could borrow a couple more? Also, I was hoping we could do some more elicitations if that's not too much trouble, I've really made a lot of progress analyzing the data I collected before, I think I've actually confirmed the pitch accent theory of Proto Norse just based on what we've done, in your dialect at least-" Ada realized she was babbling when Loki cut her off with a laugh.

"Oh dear," he tutted, "I hardly think we'll have much time for that tonight. Why don't we just set those on the table by the fire for now."

"Uh, okay, I guess…" Ada said, her voice cracking from the implications of Loki's words. She walked over to the table on wobbly legs and slowly placed her things in the center of it. She stared at them for a moment, too nervous to turn back around and face his charming smirk.

"I see you are enjoying my cloak," Loki said over her shoulder, suddenly much closer than Ada was expecting. She felt a tug as he lifted part of it, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. "I suppose I can understand why. If the costume you arrived in is indicative of Midgardian clothing quality, I can hardly blame you for becoming infatuated with this garment, although it is hardly more than a rag now."

Ada laughed and spun on her heel to face him, the motion wresting the cloth from his grasp. His thinly veiled insult had, strangely, returned the majority of her confidence that had been sapped by her nerves. After all, this was the same man that she so enjoyed talking to, despite his sometimes prickly demeanor, and that seemed to share her passion for books and learning- the only thing that had changed was the emergence of his desire to be intimate with her.

Taking advantage of the return of her self-confidence, Ada took a step towards Loki, placing herself close enough to him that she could feel his breath. The look on his face spurred her on; it was an amusing mixture of dark delight and surprise. She placed her hands lightly on his hard leather chestplate and as she felt his arms wrap around her waist, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly.

Ada felt his grip around her tighten as he returned the kiss. She snaked her arms up his chest and around his neck, using his shoulders to steady herself as she pressed closer to him.

Loki parted her lips gently with his tongue and she whimpered quietly in approval. After what seemed like far too short a time, he broke the kiss, nuzzling her cheek with his nose and grinning wolfishly.

"Hm, it seems you've anticipated my plans for the evening after all," he whispered, his deep voice both playful and seductive. He ran a hand up her back and brushed his fingers along the side of her neck, causing her to shiver in delight. "Perhaps we can enjoy more academic pursuits later, but I believe I have a promise to keep-"

They both jumped as they heard Loki's front door bang open. Loki's eyes narrowed to slits and his lips curled in what was almost a snarl. He swiftly lifted Ada by the shoulders and maneuvered her behind him before she could make any moves of her own. "To your room, quickly," he growled.

Ada didn't need to be told twice. She bounded around a sofa and was just about to dash through the connecting doors when they slammed in her face. She took a step back in shock and whirled around to face Loki just as a shadowed figure entered their field of sight. It was… Drifa?

"My my my," she hummed, smiling wide in a way that Ada had never seen. "What do we have here? I hardly think such fraternization between prisoners is allowed. Shall I call the guards?"

To Ada's astonishment, Loki's tense mood immediately relaxed upon hearing Drifa's words. He stood up straight and proud, crossing his arms and eyed the head maid suspiciously. He eventually cracked a subtle smile. "It's been years since you've taken this form," he chuckled. "Not since I was a child."

Drifa responded with laughter that tinkled like bells. "It used to be so easy to fool you, dear," she said in a voice Ada didn't recognize. Drifa smiled gently and slowly raised her arm above her head, beginning to sparkle with light green magic. Her maid's uniform was replaced with a silver asymmetrical breastplate that covered a beautiful blue gown, which seemed to flow like a waterfall to the floor. Her harsh wrinkles softened into those of a woman who had seen many happy days, and her hair arranged itself into a sandy brown halo that framed her face. The rest of her wavy tresses tumbled over her shoulders. "When did you become so observant?" she finished.

Ada stayed still, willing herself to go unnoticed. Her mind raced through the possibilities of who this woman might be. Another noble or god most likely, based simply on the clothes, someone who was apparently quite adept at magic… and she somehow looked familiar, almost like the amber bust on her bookshelf. Ada stifled a gasp as the pieces came together.

"Mother, this is Aðalrun," Loki said, turning to make a smooth gesture in Ada's direction. "I don't believe you've met."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

**Author’s note II** : double chapter again because ~things happen~ in this one and I didn’t have the heart to end on a cliffhanger

 

               

                “Oh, I think we’ve met several times,” Frigga said, gracefully turning to face Ada. Her skirt swirled around her feet. “Haven’t we, dear?”

                Ada hadn’t been this petrified in… well, several days actually. She devoted a passing thought to wondering if it would ever get any easier meeting gods, and quickly arrived at the conclusion that, no, it probably wouldn’t. Particularly when this god had apparently been cleaning her room and seen her naked. She opened and closed her mouth several times and found that, despite her best efforts, no sound was coming out.

                Loki raised a questioning eyebrow at his mother, who simply emitted another tinkling laugh. She waited patiently for Ada to find her words.

                “B-b-but you… every day… dressing me… but you’re the _queen_! I am so sorry, I had no idea, I-I-“ Having run out of things to say that even remotely made sense, Ada made an attempt at a bow but decided to curtsey instead halfway through. The motion ended up looking like she was somehow stumbling in place.

                “ _Mother_!” Loki gasped, appalled at this revelation. “How long have you been masquerading as Drifa?”

                Smiling, Frigga walked toward Loki and put a comforting hand on his arm. “Do not fret, darling. After all, am I not allowed to check on my own houseguests?”

                Loki hummed, still slightly aggravated. “Checking is one thing, but preforming the duties of a servant? Mother, you shouldn’t debase yourself so.”

                As Frigga chuckled at her son’s worry, Ada found enough courage to speak up again. “S-so… Drifa… is she not…? She never…?” she asked haltingly.

                “Oh, of course there is a real Drifa!” Frigga said, guessing Ada’s meaning from her disjointed words. “She was the court tutor for my sons in their youth, in fact. When they outgrew her lessons, she elected to remain at the palace as head maid rather than retire; she is an integral member of our staff, and has been relaying information to me since your arrival. I have only entered your chambers perhaps twice in Drifa’s form, including this morning.” She glanced at Loki and smiled knowingly. “I had a feeling _something_ of this sort was going on when I found you in Loki’s cloak, so I decided to pay you both a visit.”

                Ada felt slightly better that the queen hadn’t seen her fully naked, but was still intensely embarrassed about all the clothing mishaps she must have been privy to. She wondered how detailed Drifa’s reports were. She pulled herself into a demure standing position to try and salvage some of her dignity, holding her hands together at waist level. However, she felt a blush wash over her as she pondered what Frigga was implying with “something of this sort”.

                “Now Loki,” Frigga patted his arm before coming around him toward Ada, “Perhaps you can make a case to me for why you abducted this Bragisdottir from Midgard. The Allfather indicated that you did so out of boredom and spite, and while I’m sure those were contributing factors, they can hardly be your only reasons, correct?”

                Loki made a face Ada had never seen before in response to Frigga’s question- his eyebrows shot up as his eyes went wide, and he breathed in sharply. Ada was confused and concerned by his reaction until she began to think through what Frigga had said. _Bragisdottir_?

                Frigga stopped halfway between Loki and Ada, watching each of their expressions. “Are you so surprised that I noticed?” she asked, looking to Loki. “The remaining Asgardian blood in her veins is extremely thin; another mortal generation and even I wouldn’t be able to see its magic.”

                “ _Pardon_?” Ada whispered weakly.

                Loki collected himself from his initial shock. “I had my suspicions the moment I laid eyes on her,” he said, clearing his throat. “However, I couldn’t be certain of her heritage until I observed her. We haven’t had any Aesir bastards in Asgard for centuries; I wanted to see how she would fare, if indeed she was one. I simply wasn’t expecting your input so soon.”

                “Wh…at…” Ada felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. She shakily made her way to a couch and collapsed onto it. None of this made sense- her father had _died_ of _cancer_ , which is a very mortal thing to do. And her mother had gone the illness route as well.

                “And I see you haven’t informed Aðalrun of your observations,” Frigga sighed and rolled her eyes at Loki.

                “I was still solidifying my information!” Loki said indignantly. He caught Ada’s confused gaze. “Your ancestor, the one with the illegitimate child? I believe that child was of Bragi.”

                “Ah…” Ada said quietly, staring into space. Oh yes, of _course_ her great-grandfather was half god. That was _perfectly_ believable.

                Except Loki, and particularly Frigga, had no reason to lie to her about something like this. It certainly explained why Bragi looked so frightfully similar to her father. Her mind began to race through all the implications of her newfound fractional godliness. Was their connection to Bragi the reason why all of her family seemed to be drawn to language? Was that the only reason she became a linguist- because some tiny bit of Asgardian blood was urging her to do so? Did magic run in the family? That would certainly explain the family story of her great-grandfather saving her great-grandmother from the flu simply by talking to her…

                Ada rested her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands. This was just too crazy.

                She kept her face covered even as she felt a weight settle on the couch next to her and a delicate hand on her shoulder. “I am so sorry, dear,” Frigga said, her voice warm and comforting. “I did not intend to shock you with this information. I wrongly assumed that my son had made it clear to you already.”

                “Mmf,” Ada grumbled into her hands and sighed. She slowly uncovered her face and turned to Frigga, who was smiling gently. But there was something else there, a spark… it suddenly registered to Ada that, in the myths at least, Frigga could see the future, so how had she not anticipated Loki’s secrecy? She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Sorry for asking, but can’t you-?”

                Frigga’s smile morphed into a very familiar expression- almost the same mischievous grin that Loki often wore. Ada couldn’t help but smile back at the resemblance (and the fact that, for once, her mythological knowledge seemed to be accurate).

                “Aðalrun…” Loki said softly, appearing to her right at the edge of the couch.

                “ _Loki_ ,” Ada said with vitriol, slowly and deliberately turning to face him, the smile evaporating from her lips. “When exactly were you going to mention this whole… thing?”

                “Tonight, actually,” he said, avoiding her gaze. He glared into the fire and jerked his head in the direction of his bed. “I had even prepared some reference material for you.” Sure enough, a stack of books perched on his nightstand.

                Ada’s mouth hung open for a moment, and then her face scrunched into disbelief. “You were going to have _sex_ with me and then tell me I’m the descendant of a bastard demigod?!” She demanded angrily, her mouth working a bit quicker than her brain. When her brain did catch up, she remembered she was still sitting next to Loki’s mother. She clapped her hands over her mouth and turned a bright crimson.

                Loki raised his fist to his lips and coughed, turning away to hide what appeared to be a blush. Frigga simply chuckled lightly. Ada realized that if Frigga knew of Loki’s failure to tell her about her heritage, she probably knew about that too. Ada desperately wished she could sink into the couch cushions and disappear.

                “It seems as if you two have much to discuss,” Frigga said, slowly standing, her smile never fading. She drifted over to Loki’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder, in the same way she had for Ada. “I shall take my leave of you for the night.”

                “And how shall you inform Odin of the clandestine socialization of his prisoners?” Loki asked dryly, apparently fully recovered from his momentary embarrassment.

                “I believe your father is busy with the army at the moment,” Frigga said, maintaining her calm smile even as Loki flinched at the familial term. “It would be a shame to distract him from such an important task. I am treating the situation as I have before when he has gone off to war; he already has, mentally,” she added the last remark under her breath. “I shall be caring for Asgard in his stead until his safe return.”

                Loki whipped his head around to regard her. “And what of Thor?” he asked, the sourness apparent in his voice. “Is Odin still so reluctant to give up the throne that he will not even allow his precious son and heir to temporarily assume his power?”

                “Loki,” Frigga sighed, her voice suddenly heavy with emotional exhaustion; her tone caused the simple pronouncement of his name to sound like a heartfelt plea.

                A nearly imperceptible look of pain ghosted across Loki’s face at her sigh. His expression then hardened resolutely and he turned away from her, causing her hand to slip from his arm.

                Frigga’s internal turmoil in response to his action was almost palpable. Even after everything she had heard so far tonight, Ada still possessed the wherewithal to be shocked at how Loki was treating his mother. She felt the need to say something, but was kept silent by the incredibly sweet but unbearably sad smile Frigga gave to Loki’s back. Ada found her heart aching for the queen.

                In another act that reminded her of Loki’s mannerisms, Frigga quickly straightened herself and coached her face back into a pleasant grin. “Thor is just as preoccupied as the Allfather, and will be needed on the field of battle. It would hardly be a wise decision to anchor him here. Though I believe he should know of your night rendezvous; he does worry so over your state of mind, being locked away up here. It would please him to hear of your happiness.”

                “What business of his is my state of mind?!” Loki spat, whirling to face her angrily. Ada saw his eyes flash blue.

                “Loki… you know he still loves you, after all the pain you have caused him,” Frigga grasped his shoulders and smiled up into his frightening expression. Loki’s muscles relaxed slightly and she pulled him into a gentle hug. “As do I.”

                Although Loki’s face expressed reluctance, he tolerated the hug wordlessly. As Frigga pulled away, he sighed and crossed his arms, avoiding her tender gaze. “Do whatever you see fit, Mother. I am in no position to question your judgment when it was your honesty with Odin that kept me out of the dungeons.”

                Frigga smiled, grateful that there would be no further argument. “My dear Loki, I love you so,” she said warmly, brushing her hand across his arm before turning away. Loki watched her go out of the corner of his eye. She drifted back towards Ada, who had been observing their exchange intently in order to distract herself from the infinite questions careening through her mind.

                She stood as the queen approached. She felt rude and stupid enough already without forgetting to show respect to the interim ruler of Asgard. “Mrs… Ma’m… your majesty…” she stammered. “It was, um, lovely to meet you, and, ah… thanks for letting me know about… you know…”

                “Of course, young one,” Frigga chuckled. “Before I go, tell me this: is Jane aware of your association with Loki?”

                Ada slowly nodded. “Only since today. I didn’t tell her much, though, because I didn’t want her to get in trouble too if Loki and I were caught.”

                “Hm, a wise decision,” Frigga nodded as well. “I shall take that into account when I speak to Thor. Now,“ she flicked her hand at the connecting door behind Ada, which popped open, “I don’t believe this barrier spell is still necessary, especially since it was apparently so ineffective to begin with.” She glanced over her shoulder at Loki, who looked away innocently. She turned back to Ada. “You now have the freedom to pass between your and Loki’s quarters when you see fit.”

                Ada smiled crookedly, not entirely sure what to make of Frigga’s loosening of the rules Odin had apparently set in place. On one hand, she was happy that she would no longer have to sneak around and visit Loki in the dead of night, but on the other hand, Frigga’s justification for suddenly assuming authority was dubious at best. However, her instincts urged her to trust the queen, particularly since she had spared her from what would have been some pretty traumatic pillow talk. “Th-thank you,” she eventually managed to say. “I really appreciate it.”

                “Think nothing of it, my dear,” Frigga beamed at her. “My only condition is that you try to keep my son out of trouble.”

                Ada guffawed before she could stop herself at the idea that she would be able to keep Loki from _anything_. She quickly raised a hand to her mouth and smiled through her fingers apologetically. “I, er, I’ll do my best,” she said quietly.

                Frigga chuckled. “That’s all I ask!” She patted Loki on the shoulder as she walked by him in the direction from which she came. “I’ll see you again soon, dear, hopefully in the daylight next time.”

                Loki’s expression softened to a small smile and he nodded. He watched her walk out the bedroom door.

                He turned to face Ada with his mouth open to say something when Frigga poked her head back into the room. “And no more sneaking out, alright? Especially not in disguise! You left a magic trail all the way to the old town last night!” she laughed and disappeared again. Loki and Ada soon heard the front doors creak open and slam shut.

                Loki couldn’t hide his indignant blush and Ada giggled. “I like your mom,” she said, sitting back down on the couch.

                Loki composed himself and smirked as he perched himself on the corner of the couch. “Yes, she is very likeable,” he chuckled. “Although she can be rather meddlesome.”

                “You’re hardly one to talk,” Ada said, leaning forward and placing her arms on her knees. She frowned into the fire. “Please give me a straight answer- why did you kidnap me from earth?”

                “Well I certainly wouldn’t call it a _kidnapping_ , it was obvious you wanted to come along-“ Loki started, only to be cut short by a glare. “ _Alright_ ,” he conceded, crossing his arms and turning away. “Although you appeared to be a simple mortal when you tried to stab me, I realized there was more noble blood flowing through your veins after Thor and I fought with the Valkyries. I couldn’t tell until I was closer to you, when you had to, ah… flip me over.”

                “ _More noble blood_ ,” Ada grumbled. “So why not just tell me? Are you afraid I’ll start using my god powers for evil?” She thought for a moment. “You probably wouldn’t mind that, actually…”

                “ _Powers_? Oh my dear, you hardly have powers!” Loki laughed loudly. “Your Asgardian blood is far too diluted to be of any real use to you. The best you could hope to do with what little magic you possess would be to perhaps rebound a spell or to influence an unsuspecting individual’s judgment. Which is what I believe you did to Odin the night you arrived, actually,” his grin took on a more sinister cast. “I heartily applaud you for that. The old mule was so distracted by your and Jane’s presence that he let down his guard for a moment. You were the one who tipped the scales of his decision in your favor with your tears and begging. It was not he who spared you from the dungeon, but your own strong desire put into words.”

                “Huh,” Ada huffed, unable to think of a way to respond. It was slightly comforting to know she was mostly normal, despite inadvertently bewitching the king of the gods, but it still didn’t explain why Loki had been silent on the matter this whole time. “So why didn’t you tell me?” she finally asked. “After what we were about to do tonight, I expected a little more honesty-“ she paused. “Well, maybe not _honesty_ , not from you, but more… openness.”

                Loki gently touched his fingers to his chest in an offended motion. “Why Aðalrun, you wound me!” Met with a deadpan stare, he rolled his eyes and continued. “As I said, I _was_ going to tell you tonight. The last piece of the puzzle was Bragi himself: I wanted to see your reaction to him. Until then, I couldn’t be sure if you were a Bragisdottir or if I had been imagining the faint flicker of magic about you. I wanted to be certain of your heritage before I started spouting nonsense about you being of mixed blood. I couldn’t be sure that your Midgardian mind could handle it, first of all…”

                “So you’ve just been observing me this whole time, gathering data to prove your theory? That’s what last night was about?” Ada cut him off. Loki’s eyes flashed with something akin to worry before he nodded. Ada stared at him hard through narrowed eyes before cracking a smile and bursting into laughter. Loki looked somewhat relieved.

                “Well, it looks like we had similar aims at least,” she said through giggles. “You were studying me as I was studying you… I understand your reasoning- if you had told me before it might’ve influenced the way I acted, skewing your data.” It was easier to think about this in academic terms, it took most of the emotion out of it… at least temporarily. But Ada could still feel sadness slowly rising within her, realizing that many of Loki’s actions were probably no more than information gathering mechanisms.

                Some of her sadness must’ve worked its way onto her face because suddenly Loki was beside her. He gingerly placed a hand on hers, as if he were expecting it to be shaken off. “Aðalrun, please know that last night was…” he looked at their clasped hands, trying to decide on a word. “ _Real_. While I did initially bring you here to observe you, I hardly expected you to be so, well… _interesting_.” He paused to collect his thoughts.

                “Thor had been exiled from Asgard when he met his mortal Jane. His feelings for her changed him, though whether this change is for the better or worse of the realm remains to be seen. I could not begin to fathom what about a simple Midgardian woman could cause him to take leave of his senses in such a way, but it certainly piqued my curiosity. Although the Aesir have historically occasionally had… _intimate dealings_ with Midgardians- as evidenced by your ancestor- there is no precedent for true romance between the two. When Thor was able to return to Midgard, I was granted permission to accompany him; I wanted to meet this being who had so captured his attention. I didn’t ever imagine that I would eventually _sympathize_ with him.”

                Loki looked rather angry at himself over the issue. Ada chuckled quietly at his aggravated expression- strangely, the fact that she had caused him frustration gave her some assurance that what he was saying was at least somewhat true.

                He continued. “I expected you to cower in my presence, to easily bow to my whims. I never thought that I would be too busy answering your multitudinous questions to truly assert my authority! Nor did I ever think that I would actually begin to _enjoy_ answering them. You caught me off guard with your curiosity and your ability to quickly grasp a situation and try to turn it to your advantage.”

                Loki suddenly caught Ada’s gaze. His eyes were intense and dark, almost frightening. “And I am not easily caught off guard,” he said quietly, almost as a growl.

                Ada felt her cheeks grow warm and her stomach flutter under his scrutiny, but resisted the urge to turn away. “Well, when life gives you lemons…” she said, smiling weakly.

                The dark look in Loki’s eyes gave way to a blank confusion. When she didn’t continue her statement, he cocked his head. “What _do_ you do when life give you lemons?”

                Ada snorted and quickly covered her mouth- she found she had been doing that a lot this evening- causing Loki to let go of her hand. “You make lemonade,” she giggled. “Sorry, it’s just a saying on Midgard… er, earth. Great, you have me calling it Midgard now! I’ve been here for way too long already…”

                “Not long enough, I think,” Loki said, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek. “I still have much to tell you. Forget your lemons and lemonades for the time being.”

                Ada leaned into his touch slightly, smiling at both the feeling of his cool fingers and his use of the word “lemonades”. She wanted to know more about what her Asgardian blood meant in terms of… well, her whole life really, but was finding it difficult at the moment to formulate any specific questions. However, she realized that, on the whole, she was weirdly okay with this new addition to her family history; her great grandfather’s godly heritage didn’t seem to have a direct effect on any of her other family, and they would have had more of Bragi’s blood in their veins than she did. Still, she couldn’t wait to look through the books Loki had set aside for her.

                “Thank you, I guess,” Ada said, smiling playfully at him, “For at least _intending_ to tell me about your findings tonight.” She placed her hand on his where it rested on her cheek.

                Without warning, she was scooped up into Loki’s arms and being carried away from the couch and the fire. She squealed in surprise and threw her arms around his neck to give herself more support, looking up into his face for answers. He gave her his familiar mischievous smirk in response, and she felt herself blush.

                Ada had an idea of where she was being carried to, but became certain when she felt Loki take a step up. He set her down gently on his enormous bed which, she noted, was just as soft as it looked. However, she immediately felt extremely vulnerable just lying there and quickly scrambled to sit upright against the pillows.

                Loki laughed at her sudden awkwardness. “So shy now, sweetling? May I remind you that you were the one to kiss me tonight?”

                Ada smiled a bit, feeling her mind becoming slightly hazy with excitement. “Yes, I… do remember that,” she said, taking a quick breath to clear her head. She was still unsure about Loki’s intentions, and it bothered her. “But you know… you don’t _have_ to do this if you don’t actually want to, I would completely understand and would still keep visiting, and you-“

                Loki pressed a finger to her lips to silence her, which immediately sent her back into the haze from whence she came. He suddenly looked very serious. “I want to be with you like this. I can scarcely recall wanting anything else more desperately…” He began to trace around her lips lightly with his finger.

                That was really all Ada needed to hear. She surrendered herself to the warm feeling that was quickly filling her chest.

                She caught his finger with her tongue and raised a hand to guide it into her mouth, her eyes fluttering shut as she felt its coolness pass between the warmth of her lips. She flicked her tongue across it lightly and heard Loki gasp. Encouraged, she licked up and down its length.

                “Ah!” Ada exclaimed as Loki exchanged his finger for his lips. His tongue entered her mouth forcefully, and she couldn’t help but moan into the kiss. His hand slipped up to lace itself through her hair, and he used his other arm to reposition her on the bed so she was lying down again. This time, she was more than willing to stay there.

                Loki broke the kiss and in one graceful motion was on top of her. Ada looked up at him with dark eyes- she could already feel the warmth spreading between her legs, and they had barely even started yet.

                He grinned dangerously and ran his hands up her sides and arms, raising them above her head. He easily pinned her wrists together with one large hand and supported himself with his free arm as he lowered himself to kiss her.

                Being restrained in this way was equally sexy as it was frustrating. Ada halfheartedly struggled against his grip, enjoying it more as she felt him smile into the kiss. She whimpered as he ravished her mouth with his tongue, gasping and arching her back slightly as he gently bit her lower lip.

                Loki released her hands and began to kiss down her neck, flicking his tongue against her sensitive skin. Ada immediately tangled her fingers in his smooth raven hair, moaning softly when he began to nip at the space just above her collarbone.

                “Loki…” she whispered as he unfastened the catch that held his cloak around her shoulders, revealing more of her skin.

                “Mm?” he hummed, beginning to plant kisses along her upper chest.

                She tried to gather her wits enough to string together a coherent sentence. “Do you… know how to… take this off?” she gestured to her breastplate. She wouldn’t have been able to take it off herself on her best day, and there was no way she was even going to try in the heat of the moment.

                Loki laughed and ran his thumb along the side of the armor. Ada felt its fasteners pop open on her back, despite the fact that he hadn’t actually touched them. She laughed as well, disentangling herself from the piece and dropping it with a dull thud onto the floor.

                “May we continue now?” Loki purred, running a hand up her now thinly clothed navel.

                “Not yet,” Ada grinned as she caught his hand. “My turn…”

                She sat up slightly and slipped her hands underneath his shirt, drinking in the feeling of his cool skin against her palms. She began to push it upward over his torso, exposing his lithe stomach. Loki quickly caught on to her aim and pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it in the direction of Ada’s discarded breastplate. She rubbed her hands across Loki’s bare hips and traced lightly up along his backbone as his lips returned to hers.

                His wandering hand returned to her stomach and quickly made its way to her breast, which he cupped gently. He brushed his fingers across her erect nipple, causing her to whimper. Taking the sound as a positive sign, he pinched it gently, smirking into the kiss as he felt Ada’s hands ball into fists against his back.

                Loki shifted against her to give some attention to her other breast. The motion brought Ada’s attention to his prominent arousal, which was already straining against the leather of his trousers. His hips seemed to have a mind of their own, pressing his erection against her thigh as he twirled her other nipple between his fingers.

                She lifted her leg slightly, rubbing against him. She felt more than heard him growl in pleasure, and broke away from his insistent lips to gasp as he grabbed her breast roughly.

                Ada removed one arm from Loki’s back and began to hastily undo all the ties on her dress that she could reach. Loki slipped his hand under the small of her back to prop her up so she could more easily reach them, kissing and nuzzling into her neck as she did so. Her hands faltered at the feeling of his tender ministrations; feeling her actions slow, Loki slid his hand up her back to release the remaining ties.

                As he laid her back down on the bed, he slipped the neck of her dress down low enough to expose her shoulders and plump breasts. Softly caressing one, he lowered his lips to brush against the bottom of the other, holding Ada’s gaze as he did so.

                He licked a cool line up to the crown of her nipple. Her arousal was quickly becoming almost unbearable- she squirmed beneath him involuntarily, rubbing her legs together against the growing wetness between them.

                She gasped as Loki nipped at her nipple playfully, flicking his tongue across it. He looked up at her periodically, his green eyes sparkling, and it drove her mad.

                “ _Loki_ …” Ada breathed, her chest heaving with pleasure as he moved to her other nipple, giving it just as much attention as the first. “Oh god, please…”

                He chuckled into her soft flesh, unlocking his teeth from her nipple. “Please what, sweet one?” he whispered darkly, his eyes heavily lidded with desire. His hand traveled up along the side of her neck, lightly grasping it and rubbing his thumb across her throat. His lips were suddenly against her ear; he nibbled her earlobe gently, sending shivers down her spine. “What would you have me do?”

                “I… I want…” Loki cut her off by suddenly pressing his swollen erection against the top of her womanhood through their clothes, causing just enough contact to make her gasp in pleasure. She felt his lips curve into a dangerous smile.

                “Ask me to make you mine,” he growled into her ear. “I want to make you mine, Aðalrun…”

                She whimpered in response- his words alone nearly drove her to the brink of orgasm. He pressed his lips back to hers forcefully before she could reply, his tongue entering her mouth and easily subduing hers.

                Just as suddenly as the kiss started, it was broken, leaving Ada reeling. Loki bared his teeth in what was almost a snarl and tugged her dress further down her body. She thought she heard the tearing of fabric, but really didn’t care at the moment.

                “Loki, _please_ ,” she gasped. “I-I want to be yours… Ah!”

                As soon as the words left her mouth, Loki simultaneously lifted her lower torso and skillfully whipped her dress off of her body. He threw it and the cloak she had still been lying on to the floor and ran his cool hands down her bare sides and across her panty line. “Then I shall happily oblige,” he said with a devious grin.

 

 

 

*Ada and Loki’s “adventures” continue in the next chapter, which I have also posted! It is easier to skip this way, if you want to avoid the actual sex acts. It is shorter than the other chapters as it only deals with the one thing- it’s more of a naughty intermission, really. Enjoy!


	18. Chapter 17.5

                Loki brushed a finger between Ada’s legs along the outside of her panties, feeling the warm moisture there. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he did so, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

                Ada shuddered and moaned quietly at his touch, desperate for more. “Loki,” she whispered, a plea for release evident in her tone.

                Loki took due note of the plea- he pushed her panties aside and slipped a slender finger between her lips, deep into her wet heat. Ada gasped and collapsed onto the bed, whimpering as he began to slowly slide in and out of her. He watched her reactions intently, grinning at the pleasure he could bring her with just one finger.

                As his pace increased, Ada grabbed helplessly at the sheets. When he added a second finger, she cried out, arching her back and moving her hips to Loki’s rhythm. With his other hand, he began to gently massage her clit; she felt herself nearing the edge.

                Loki sensed it too. “Come for me, darling,” he growled. His urging sent her soaring into oblivion, stars dancing behind her tightly shut eyelids. Loki’s pace didn’t slow as she came, prolonging her explosion of pleasure. He only stopped as he felt her walls release around him.

                Ada’s legs shook slightly from her orgasm and he steadied them as he withdrew from her warmth. Panting, she slowly opened her eyes to find him licking the taste of her off his fingers. The action served to quickly rekindle her arousal and she smiled mischievously.

                She sat up and grabbed the waist of Loki’s trousers with both hands, pulling his hips between her legs. He fell forward, catching himself with both arms, his face inches from hers and looking rather surprised.

                Ada slid one hand through his hair and closed the gap between them, kissing him passionately. Her other hand began to trace the outline of his stiff member through his pants. Loki groaned as she ran her fingers from its base to its tip, feeling it pulse slightly in its confinement.

                She pulled on the leather cord that held his trousers shut, loosening it to the point that she could feel his erection emerging from his waistline. Unlike the rest of his body, his arousal seemed to be particularly warm; to her light touch it almost felt like it was radiating desire.

                She circled his head lightly with her fingers before enclosing it in her palm. She felt Loki’s hips shift, pressing into her hand as he moaned quietly into her mouth. Ada began to feel the area between her legs tingle with sensitivity and she pushed up against his downward motion.

                Loki pulled away from the kiss and grunted, rubbing himself against her more intensely. Unable to stand any more teasing, he yanked his trousers down around his ankles and kicked them off, exposing his full length to Ada’s touch. She happily took advantage of the new real estate, wrapping her hand around his throbbing shaft and beginning to pump him.

                “Ah…” he gasped and pressed his forehead to her shoulder. She kissed his upper neck as she pleasured him, nibbling on his earlobe just as he had done to her, her fingers lacing themselves through his long hair. He moaned again, louder this time, thrusting into her hand. “Aðalrun…” he whispered in a husky voice.

                Loki lifted his head to look at her and placed a hand between them, ceasing her movement. He placed his large hand over hers on his erection, gently removing it and pushing it above her head, where he held it to the bed. Ada’s breathing picked up speed as he again rubbed the fingers of his other hand against her wet opening. He moved smoothly from her arousal to his own, guiding it to press against her entrance.

                Loki’s first thrust was slow and deep, and Ada moaned as she felt his girth fill her. His brow furrowed in concentration as he withdrew just as slowly, pausing before he completely pulled out, his sensitive head resting just within her lips. The next time he pressed into her, he did so at a greater speed. He breathed heavily, establishing a moderate pace as Ada encircled his waist with her legs, pulling him deeper inside. She wrapped her other arm around his shoulders, clinging to him and panting with every thrust as he picked up speed.

                “Loki!” she moaned, matching his pace with her hips. She felt herself coming close to the edge of orgasm again, and she gritted her teeth to hold on a little longer.

                Without warning, Loki plunged himself deep into her core, to the point that the base of his member pushed up against her clit. He and Ada both gasped at the feeling and she arched her back, her breasts squishing against his muscular chest.

                His thrusts after that became more determined, more desperate, and consistently deep. Ada wasn’t just going to be brought to orgasm again; she thought she might explode into a million pieces of bliss from Loki’s passionate lovemaking.

                “ _Say it_ ,” Loki suddenly growled, pressing his cheek to hers. “Say you’re mine.”

                “I-I-,” she panted as he pushed her closer and closer to ecstasy. She cried out, unable to hold back any longer. “Loki! Loki, I’m yours! Oh god, I’m yours…”

                Loki moaned an ancient oath into her ear, the tightening of her walls bringing him to climax as well. Ada felt his warm seed spread inside her as he pushed into her over and over again, his thrusts becoming erratic as he was overwhelmed by the feeling of release. He finally collapsed on top of her, gasping and completely spent.

                They stayed like that for a while, their ragged breathing soon coming to be in synch. Ada’s mind was delightfully blank except for the occasional reverberating spasm of pleasure. Eventually they shifted to lie side by side, and Loki’s resulting withdrawal caused her to gasp. She savored the lingering warmth between her legs.

                He untangled the sheets from beneath their naked bodies and drew them up around their shoulders. Ada rested her head on Loki’s chest as he wrapped a strong arm around her. She sighed contentedly and kissed him softly just beneath his collarbone. Loki in turn pressed his lips to the top of her head.

                They both fell asleep smiling.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

Ada awoke gradually to the feeling of cool fingers running through her hair. Her head was resting halfway between Loki’s shoulder and chest, her arm draped over his torso. She sighed happily and rubbed her cheek against him as Loki brought his other hand around to stroke her bare shoulder. She shivered slightly from a combination of his touch and the exciting realization that the events of the night before weren’t a dream.

                Loki leaned down to whisper in her ear, his nose brushing against her face. “I think you should go now.”

                Ada’s eyes snapped open angrily and she propped herself up on one arm to look down at him. “Good morning to you too,” she grumbled.

                Loki smirked lazily up at her as he pulled his hand through his raven hair. The action did little to tame his unruly locks which were spread beneath him on the pillow. “I’m serious,” he chuckled. “Unless you want to give the maids an eyeful when they arrive to tidy my room.”

                “Ugh,” Ada groaned, sitting up and squeezing her eyes shut. She rubbed her face sleepily. When she opened her eyes again, she jumped; Loki had straddled her beneath the blankets, and his lips were now inches from hers. She found herself blushing, despite the fact that they had recently been in _much_ closer proximity.

                “Although I would love to bring you to ecstasy once again, I don’t believe I have the time to see to you properly,” he purred, nuzzling into her neck. “Perhaps later…”

                Ada’s eyes gently closed in pleasure, but her lips simultaneously curved into a playful smile. She wrapped one leg around Loki and, using it as leverage, flipped him over, moving herself on top of him in turn. His expression was a priceless combination of surprise and smug delight. “Perhaps now,” Ada said, imitating his voice. She shuddered as she felt his hands begin to caress her sides.

                The creak of Loki’s front door opening sent her catapulting out of his bed, which was no small feat- it seemed to be about double the size of an average queen size bed, and much taller. She hastily scooped up her clothes, praying that she hadn’t forgotten anything, and scampered over to the open connecting door. “I, um- later!” she squealed, slipping into her own room. Loki’s hearty laughter followed her.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                “So the policy of dealing with half-Aesir, half-humans used to be-“ Ada screwed up her face in disgust at Loki, “- to _replace_ their _blood_?!”

                “A programme instated under Odin’s father, Bor,” Loki nodded and leaned back in his chair. “At least for the ones that could be found. Who knows how many descendants of Aesir bastards now roam Midgard?”

                “Good for them,” Ada said weakly, dropping her gaze back to the book in front of her. “Good for _me_. And you’re sure they don’t do the blood thing anymore?”

                Loki chuckled quietly, which annoyed her; this was hardly something to make light of. “No no, that practice was abolished centuries ago. Not all of the bastards survived the initial policy of conversion to full Midgardian blood, and none made it through the later idea of conversion to full Asgardian blood. Several decades after Odin ascended to the throne, he declared the practice cruel and put a stop to it.”

                “A-ha…” Ada turned the page with a shaky hand. She read a few lines of the next page and looked up at Loki again. “That all seems… horrible.”

                Loki shrugged and put his hands behind his head. “The belief used to be that those of mixed blood would use the magic they possessed to oppress lesser-developed Midgardians. However, it turned out that the half-breeds that managed to go undetected were more often cast out of their communities, sometimes taking up what they called _seiðkona_ and becoming _volva_. So the costume you arrived in was more fitting than you might’ve assumed,” Loki smirked and closed his eyes.

                Ada hummed and considered Loki’s relaxed posture carefully. After his initial observation upon his arrival that morning of how small her quarters were compared to his own, he seemed to have settled in quite naturally. It was actually rather strange to see him seated at the desk in her bedroom, particularly in the sunlight; she hadn’t seen him during the day since their first meeting on the balconies. She hadn’t noticed then how his dark hair glowed like silk in the light, or how the sun caught the contours of his face, bringing his handsome features into sharp relief. Her cheeks unwillingly deepened in color, and she spoke up to break herself out of fantasy land. “So all _volur*_ are descendants of Asgardians?”

                “I highly doubt that,” Loki said, waving a hand flippantly. “The relatively large number of _volur_ that seem to have existed on Midgard for a time cannot all have been sired by Asgardians. Many must have claimed to possess power they simply did not have. Only the first generation of descendants would have any meaningful access to magic. It was hardly even worth tracking down the second generation in the majority of cases of dealing with Midgardians of mixed blood- once the Asgardian blood has become that thin, they are no different really from a regular mortal, apart from perhaps getting what they want more often due to their subconscious use of weak verbal magic.”

                “I see,” Ada said with a nod. She scanned another page of the book and turned to the next, which featured a rather gruesome illustration of what must have been the blood replacement process, complete with the human screaming in pain. She winced and flipped to the next page quickly.

                “ _You_ though,” Loki said rather loudly while leaning forward, causing Ada to jump, “You possess less magic than the _volur_ of old, but more than you technically should given the thinness of your Asgardian blood. I believe Bragi’s overabundance of wasted power is to thank for that.”

                She smiled awkwardly at him and rubbed a page of the book between her fingers. “And _that’s_ why you brought me here.”

                “That is, indeed, why I brought you here,” Loki said proudly, sitting back again. “And now that I have found I was right about your heritage, I can focus on simply observing you.”

                “But _why_?” Ada said, flipping the book shut. “It sounds like there’s a fair amount of literature on human-Asgardian hybrids. I mean, I guess I can see wanting to work with one first-hand, but-“

                “Ah, but that’s it,” Loki interrupted. “The literature is old, and no effort has been made to study the reaction of an individual of mixed blood to living in this realm for any period of time. In the past, they were simply transported here to undergo the blood replacement process and then sent back to Midgard.”

                Ada suddenly found herself pondering the veracity of the alien abduction stories she had heard on sensational TV programs over the years. Before she could make any snide comments about little green men, she heard her front door open and shut. Her eyes widened in terror as she slowly stood up.

                Loki immediately grew serious and braced himself on his chair to stand as well. “What? What is it?” he asked, quietly and urgently.

                “Ada!” Jane called, throwing open the door to the bedroom. “I have quite the report for you today! Thor-“ She froze in place when she caught sight of Loki, her hand still on the door. Her eyes became narrow with loathing.

                Loki laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair as Ada smiled sheepishly. “Aðalrun, are you so afraid of Thor’s mortal-”

                “ _Jane_ ,” the girls both corrected him simultaneously.

                Loki heaved a dramatic sigh, though he was still grinning. “Are you so afraid of _Jane_ that you react in such a way when you hear her coming?”

                “More afraid for _you_ ,” Ada said through clenched teeth.

                Jane shut the door quietly behind her and crossed her arms, apparently trying to burn a hole through Loki with her glare. “ _First_ ,” she growled, glancing at Ada. “Is he allowed to be in here? You said yesterday your visits were illegal.”

                Ada laughed nervously. “Um, well, yes, it’s kind of complicated, but he is now-“

                “ _Second_ ,” Jane cut her off. “ _Why_ is he in here?”

                _Oh boy, that’s even more complicated_ , Ada thought, opening her mouth to try to explain.

                Loki beat her to it. “I was just leaving, actually,” he said, standing and scooping his books off the table. He smirked deviously at Jane. “I would rather not bear the brunt of your tiny hand again.”

                Ada could see Jane seethe at the comment. “Well, don’t let me stop you,” she spat.

                “Oh, I won’t,” Loki purred, taking a step to the side in Ada’s direction. He cradled the book in one arm and wrapped the other around her back, pulling her close.

                Ada looked up at him and raised a suspicious eyebrow, but she was highly involved in a passionate kiss before she could say anything. Her hands flailed about wildly for a moment, eventually coming to rest self-consciously on his back as he dipped her.

                Loki broke the kiss as abruptly as he started it, and pulled Ada back up into a standing position. He chuckled at her shocked expression and the deep crimson of her cheeks. “See you this evening, my sweet,” he said smoothly, running a finger under her chin.

                Ada made some sort of a wheezing sound in reply and patted his shoulder mechanically, unable to think of anything else to do. Loki turned and walked through the connecting doors, laughing all the way. Ada didn’t face Jane until she heard the click of the door being shut.

                Jane’s arms hung limply by her sides, and Ada was concerned that her jaw would hit the floor if she dropped it any wider. Ada gave her a lopsided smile, but received no reaction.

                “So that, um… we… _happened_ ,” Ada managed to choke out when the awkward silence became too much.

                Jane’s mouth slowly drew shut, although her features were still distorted by shock. She placed a shaky hand to her brow and closed her eyes, leaning back onto the doorframe. “Give me the abridged explanation,” she said wearily.

                “Ah… haha…” Ada laughed uncertainly, trying to decide which details were important to communicate. She sat down heavily and drummed her fingers on the table. “Well, er… we snuck out the night before last, in disguises, and Loki had to kiss me at one point to prove he was my husband, but then kissed me again when we got back because he felt bad about it, and then last night Frigga came to visit and told me I was 1/8th Asgardian, and Loki and I became… _romantic_ after she left.”

                Jane stared at her blankly for a moment and then covered her face with her hands. She made a sound that was somewhere between an exasperated groan and a sigh. “ _Aðalrun Paulsen_ ,” she said, drawing her fingers down her face. “That explanation raised _way_ more questions than it answered.”

 

* _Volur_ is the plural of _volva_


	20. Chapter 19

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

**Further notes** : there are two songs in this chapter! Although they are both in Old Norse rather than Proto Norse (there’s a reason Ada is so excited to get data on Proto Norse from Loki- there isn’t a lot of source material for the language), I think they fit the bill. [The first song mentioned is here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcn482UUt1k) (start at about 0:32),[ the second song is here. ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4dT8FJ2GE0)

Enjoy!

 

 

                Ada glanced at her stack of notes as she walked past the table on her way to knock on Loki’s door. She debated whether to bring them or not; the last two nights hadn’t exactly been productive, at least in terms of elicitations. Despite the fact she had enjoyed herself immensely, she felt the tiniest bit guilty about ignoring her work lately. She nibbled her lip as she continued to the connecting door, leaving the papers in their place.

                Her conversation with Jane that afternoon had been rather stressful and her nerves were frazzled. Between trying to explain the whole “descendant of an Aesir bastard” thing and Jane relaying more information about the development of Odin’s upcoming military strike, Ada didn’t think she had enough mental energy left to do any good linguistics.

                She knocked on the door and smiled. It was actually kind of nice going to visit Loki without having her research as an ulterior motive.

                “Good evening, pet,” Loki said in his silkiest voice as he drew the door open. He leaned against the doorframe, grinning at her lazily with slightly hooded eyes. “Are you quite finished with your mortal gossip?”

                Although she was initially disarmed by his suggestive expression, Ada quickly regained her wits after his remark. She gave a short and exaggerated laugh and placed her hands on her hips. “Gossip? Have you _met_ Jane and I? We’re too busy reverse-engineering your technology and mapping your language to have any personal conversations! Honestly, _gossip_ …” she shook her head and rolled her eyes, but silently wondered if being lectured on her relationship choices and discussing the further development of invasion plans for Muspelheim counted as “gossip”.

                Loki chuckled and pushed himself away from the doorframe. He gave a subtle toss of his head in the direction of his room, wordlessly inviting Ada in. “And how did she take the news of your Asgardian heritage?” he asked, striding inside.

                Ada self-consciously put a hand to her cheek and followed him in. “Ah, well… I think she was more surprised about your… _actions_ as you were leaving.” She perched on the edge of the couch by the fire.

                Loki grinned and sat down next to her. “Given your reaction, I would venture to say you were nearly as surprised as she.”

                “Well, yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve had a-“ Ada paused, her mind running through possible terms for his relationship to her. Boyfriend? God-friend? Alien-with-benefits? “- _person_ …” she finished weakly. “I just wasn’t quite expecting it.”

                “ _Person_ , hm?” Loki repeated with a smirk as he leaned his head back against the couch. “And does a _person_ keep their affections confined to only the bedroom? That sounds terribly boring.”

                Ada giggled and leaned back as well, her shoulder brushing Loki’s. “Public displays of affection of _that_ level are generally frowned upon on earth- _Midgard_ ,“ she corrected herself without thinking, “but they do happen.”

                Loki nodded, thinking for a moment. He suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest so he could look down into her eyes. After her initial shock at the unexpected repositioning subsided, she smiled playfully.

                He returned her expression. “Is this appropriate then?” he asked, his voice ringing with mischief.

                Ada pretended to contemplate the question. “Probably,” she said with a subtle shrug.

                “What about this?” Loki leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

                She was disappointed that he pulled away so soon, but kept up the act. She closed her eyes and nodded her head nonchalantly. “I should say so.” When her eyes opened again, they were as full of mischief as Loki’s voice. “But _this_ -“ she swung her leg over his lap, straddling him, her skirt draping across his legs, “wouldn’t be!”

                “I see,” he purred, placing his hands on her waist. “Do go on.”

                “Oh, I intend to, but I have a question first,” she said matter-of-factly, bending down to kiss him right below his ear. “What did you say last night, when you…” she trailed off, gently kissing his jawline.

                “When I…?” Loki asked innocently, beginning to run his hands across the silky material at her middle.

                “ _Finished_ ,” Ada clarified, smiling into his neck. “It was something in Proto Norse, but I didn’t catch it. I was a little busy,” she chuckled.

                “Hm, well, perhaps you should make me say it again…” Loki almost growled, snaking a hand up her side to cup her face. He guided her into a deep kiss.

                Unfortunately, several things then happened. Loki’s front door banged open, a cheery voice shouted “Brother!”, and Loki’s face contorted with rage mid-kiss.

                Ada quickly pulled away and rolled off of Loki’s lap just as he shot to his feet, his hands balled into fists. Thor threw open the bedroom door and entered like a ray of sunshine, carrying a large pitcher of mead and four goblets. Jane trailed behind him, clearly wishing she were somewhere else.

                “ _THOR_!” Loki boomed angrily. “What in the twelve thousand forges of Niðavellir are you doing in my quarters?!”

                To Ada’s relief, Thor easily laughed off Loki’s anger, although Jane looked rather perturbed. “Brother! Mother told me of your friendship with the lady Aðalrun, and I thought you might enjoy some more company!”

                Jane caught Ada’s eye and smiled crookedly, apparently gathering that she and Thor had intruded. _Sorry_ , she mouthed. Ada giggled and gave a helpless shrug.

                “You thought wrong, dear brother,” Loki said, though his voice lacked conviction- almost as if he expected Thor to disregard his words. “Now, if you could be so kind as to show yourself out…”

                As he expected, Thor simply brushed by him with a laugh and set the pitcher and goblets on the table in front of the fire. Loki closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

                Ada stood and met Jane at the corner of the couch. “Sorry you got dragged along,” she said quietly, unable to keep a grin off her face.

                “ _You’re_ sorry, _I’m_ sorry, this whole situation is sorry,” Jane groaned. “We all would’ve been spared a lot of grief had Thor not decided that he wanted to have a double date with his homicidal brother.”

                “ _Double date_?” Ada raised an eyebrow. “Do they even have that term on Asgard?”

                “I can confirm that they don’t,” Jane said, keeping Thor and Loki in her peripheral vision. “Or they _didn’t_. They do now though…”

                As if on cue, Thor called to Jane, “My love! What is the next stage of this “double date”? I believe that Loki could use a bit more encouragement to enjoy himself! Aðalrun, might you assist?”

                “I believe that was what she was trying to do before you barged in,” Loki muttered under his breath. He gave Thor a sour look.

                “Ah, well,” Ada clapped her hands and smiled weakly. “I guess dinner and a movie are right out…”

                “Several hundred light years out,” Jane confirmed. “Possibly several thousand.”

                “It’s not like Loki and I are able to leave anyway…”

                “It is not a question of _ability_ , my dear, but of _legality_ ,” Loki corrected her smugly.

                “And since when have laws ever bothered you?” Jane snapped.

                Loki’s jovial expression quickly morphed into one of cold superiority. “Please do not conflate your modest mortal rules with the laws of Asgard. If your race weren’t so _simple_ -”

                Thor gritted his teeth and laughed stiffly. When Loki continued on his tirade and Jane ignored him in favor of glowering at Loki, he looked to Ada pleadingly to help diffuse the situation.

                “How about we all have a drink?” Ada asked loudly and energetically. She was pleased when Loki stopped lecturing Jane and turned to her.

                “Yes, why don’t we!” Thor agreed, his golden locks bobbing as he nodded emphatically.

                Jane shot Loki one last death glare before coming to Thor’s side.

                Thor settled down on the couch before the fire with a relieved laugh, throwing his vast arms across the back. Jane sat more demurely, obviously still quite uncomfortable about socializing in Loki’s room. Loki gave her a predatory look as he sat on the opposite end of the couch and she scooched closer to Thor, scowling at him out of the corner of her eye.

                Ada rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, taking a place in the wide gap between Loki and Jane to distract him from antagonizing her friend. Loki shifted his focus accordingly, only to fix Ada with a smoldering gaze that quickly colored her cheeks. _He’s certainly in a good mood tonight,_ she thought, forcing herself to break eye contact.

                “Brother!” Thor boomed happily, leaning forward to pour himself and Jane a drink. “You spoke of Niðavellir before… tell me, do you still remember the song of the dwarves?”

                “How could I forget,” Loki said, somewhat sarcastically. “Do _you_ remember how you and your Warriors Three sung it about twenty times upon your return from the second battle of Vanaheim?”

                Thor chuckled and took a swig of mead. “And if my memory serves me correctly, you sang with us for at least the first half of the celebration!”

                Loki huffed indignantly. Ada smiled at this tidbit of information about Thor and Loki’s past as Loki handed her a full goblet of mead, and was encouraged by the fact that, as Jane had mentioned, Thor still seemed to have some faith in his brother’s character. Even more than that, though, her curiosity was piqued by their discussion of the song. “Um,” she started quietly, turning to Thor, “do you think you could sing it? The dwarf song?”

                Loki shot her an exasperated glare, but Thor grinned broadly. “Why, I would be delighted to!” It was suddenly obvious to Ada that Thor had been waiting for either she or Jane to request a performance.

                “However,” Thor continued, “this is a song for more than one voice! Loki, would you be so kind as to accompany me?”

                Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

                “Ha!” Jane interjected, barely hiding her enjoyment of Loki’s discomfort. “Don’t tell me the _great and powerful Loki_ is shy about singing?”

                Her remark garnered a giggle from Ada and a worried look from Thor, which only seemed to increase Loki’s annoyance. “Fear is not in my nature, girl,” he retorted. “Why would it even cross my mind to be the slightest bit concerned about how others perceive my talents?”

                Jane elbowed Ada and whispered, “Wow, diva alert!” Ada snorted and tried to avoid the scowl Loki cast in her direction.

                “Shall we then, brother?” Thor positively glowed with optimism.

                Loki rolled his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. “It seems I hardly have a choice in the matter…”

                _Thank you!_ Ada said in Proto Norse, hoping that would trigger the Alltongue to switch off so she could hear the song in its original form. She was encouraged by Loki’s smirk when he heard her speak the phrase. Jane looked at her questioningly and opened her mouth to say something but Ada simply placed a finger to her lips and winked. Thor started the song in a rich baritone, his warm and powerful voice filling the room.

_Drøymde mik ein draum i nótt_ I dreamed a dream last night _  
um silki ok ærlig pell,_ of silk and fair furs, _  
um hægindi svá djupt ok mjott,_ of a pillow so deep and soft, __  
um rosemd með engan skell.                               A peace with no disturbance.

 

                Loki grinned in spite of himself and closed his eyes, tapping his foot to Thor’s bouncy tempo. When Thor began the second verse, he joined the song with a ringing tenor harmony, adding dimension and depth to the tune.

 

_Ok i drauminom ek leit_ And in the dream I saw _  
sem gegnom ein groman glug_ as though through a dirty window _  
þá helo feigo dvergo sveit,_ the whole ill-fated dwarven* race, __  
hver sjon ol sin eiginn ugg.                                 A different fear upon each face.

 

                Thor smiled brightly when he heard his brother’s voice begin to mix with his own. He became more animated, making dramatic gestures at certain well-remembered points, the mead sloshing about in his cup. Loki couldn’t help but smile at Thor’s display.

                Ada was torn between linguistic joy at hearing Proto Norse being sung and a deep concern about the Asgardian opinion of dwarves indicated by the lyrics that she was able to understand. Even Jane appeared to be mystified; Ada wondered how often she had heard Thor speak his mother tongue.

                Ada clapped animatedly as the song came to a close, which encouraged Jane to do the same on a smaller scale. Thor laughed loudly and gulped down the remainder of his mead.

                “Did _you_ do that?” Jane asked, turning to Ada and clutching her goblet. “Did you say a magic word and make them sing in a different language?”

                “Ha, no,” Ada answered, a bit taken aback that Jane would even begin to think that she had any skill in magic. “Loki has informed me several times that my Asgardian blood is too weak to do anything as big as mess with the Alltongue. I just tricked the spell into thinking we were Proto Norse speakers.”

                Thor raised a questioning eyebrow at Loki over Ada’s mention of her blood. “Bragi,” Loki said simply.

                “Ah,” Thor nodded, apparently needing no further explanation. If that was Thor’s reaction to her heritage, Ada wondered how many distant cousins she had.

                “You can _trick_ magic?” Jane asked incredulously. “I thought magic was just some sort of weird combination of infrared thermal and radiant energy that was somehow malleable!”

                Ada and Thor stared at her blankly. “What?” she looked back and forth between them. “I mean, I’m still working on the theory, but-“

                “Shockingly, your observations are not far off,” Loki interrupted. He took a sip of his full cup of mead. “Though the process of controlling the energy is more one of weaving rather than molding.”

                Ada grinned both at the fact that Loki was being civil and at Jane’s sudden change in expression. This was her science face. Thor seemed pleased as well and refilled his mead.

                Jane and Loki spent the next several minutes in deep ( _mostly_ amicable) conversation about magical theory while Ada and Thor looked on. Their talk seemed to trigger a subtle shift in Jane; she seemed less on edge and actually began to look like she was enjoying herself, although Ada could see she was still a little tense. The mead that she was drinking with vigor over the course of the discussion probably helped.

                During a pause in their exchange, Thor seized the opportunity to change the subject and tactlessly (but cheerfully) asked how long Ada had been staying in Loki’s quarters at night. After some verbal fumbling by the couple in question, Loki replied that it was none of Thor’s business, to which Thor responded by beginning to describe in mushy detail how lovely it was to be able to spend time with Jane whenever he wanted to. Jane hid her increasing blush by gulping down the rest of her mead. Ada redirected the conversation to a less personal topic.

                The rest of the evening continued in this friendly way. They spoke of everything from the rebuilding of the bifrost to what their favorite games to play were when they were young- predictably, the girls’ childhood experiences were vastly different from those of the princes. It warmed Ada’s heart to watch Loki and Thor reminisce, even if Loki was initially reluctant to do so.

                As the evening wound down, their voices grew quieter and conversation became more intermittent. Jane’s head lolled sleepily on Thor’s broad shoulder; she never quite recovered her faculties after drinking her first goblet of mead so quickly, and the effect was enhanced by following that goblet with two more.

                Ada sat in the crook of Loki’s arm, enjoying the contrasting feelings of his cool skin and the warmth of the fire in front of her.

                “Hmm,” Thor sighed quietly. “It is times like these that I recall the days we spent in the forest with Viðarr. I do not believe I have felt more at peace before or since.”

                “Possibly because he only spoke four words to us for the duration of our stay,” Loki drawled. But a hint of a smile crept onto his face at the memory.

                Thor hummed the first few bars of a slow and peaceful melody, which caused Jane to stir. Thor put his arm around her and her head dropped to his chest. He chuckled.

                Loki hummed what Ada assumed was a continuation of the song. “The only time he really spoke was to teach us the words to his fireside hymn. Have you forgotten them, brother?” He nudged Ada gently.

                _Hymn?_ she asked in Proto Norse, catching Loki’s hint.

                The princes’ voices rose softly together in harmony. The tone of this song was more muted than that of the dwarf song, but the melody was far more intricate and beautiful.

 

_Heyr, himna smiður,_                                        Hear, smith of the heavens,  
 _hvers skáldið biður._                                          what the poet asks.  
 _Komi mjúk til mín_                                            May softly come unto me  
 _miskunnin þín._                                                  thy mercy.

               

                Loki and Thor’s voices wove together exquisitely, creating an almost haunting echo throughout the room. Ada was mesmerized by the complex patterns created by their different tones, closing her eyes to become immersed in the song.

                The subtle lifting and falling of their timbres almost lulled her to sleep, and she was slightly disappointed when the last verse drew to a peaceful close. She cracked one eyelid open to peek at Loki, who was thoughtfully staring into the dancing fire. She smiled.

                “I suppose Jane and I should retire to our chambers,” Thor said quietly, stroking Jane’s arm to wake her. “Thank you for your hospitality this evening, brother.”

                Loki simply smirked and nodded his assent.

                Jane stood, stretching and yawning. “Night, Ada,” she mumbled, her form disappearing into the folds of Thor’s cape as he guided her to the door.

                Ada gave a small wave as they left, even though she was fairly certain neither of them saw it. She turned to Loki as she heard the bedroom door close. “You have a lovely singing voice,” she said softly, leaning back into his arm. “I guess they call you “silver tongue” for more than your lies!”

                He grinned and wrapped his fingers around her shoulder, drawing her closer. “Would you expect anything less? Now, I believe you were endeavoring to make me say something, before we were so _rudely_ interrupted…”

                Ada chuckled as she was pulled into a passionate kiss.

 

(Another naughty intermission follows this chapter- read on for more fun!)

 

* The original lyrics are “the human race”, but I changed it to fit the situation. Hopefully I put the noun in the right case!

%MCEPASTEBIN%


	21. Chapter 19-and-a-half

“Yes, let’s see, I think we were about… _here_ ,” Ada said playfully, pulling away from Loki’s lips to climb into his lap again.

                He watched her with gleeful anticipation. “Quite right,” he purred, gripping her waist.

                She shifted slightly at his touch, running both of her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, finally lacing her fingers in his hair. She pressed herself to him, her thinly clothed breasts quickly becoming sensitive to the chill his skin gave off even through his clothes.

                Loki growled quietly and pulled Ada back to his lips, kissing her erratically at first, then gaining entrance with his tongue. She moaned and matched the movements of his mouth with her own, her fingers becoming entangled in his raven locks.

                A thought suddenly occurred to her and, despite the danger it might pose to her person, she decided to act on it: she gave his hair a light tug as she kissed him. He produced a low rumble at the feeling and kissed her more intensely, his grip tightening on her waist.

                She smiled into the kiss and nibbled his lower lip when the opportunity presented itself, eliciting another sound of pleasure. She freed one hand from his hair and dragged it down to his chest, pushing him away while her other hand gave his hair another pull.

                Loki’s eyes were dark and dangerous, but the devilish smirk on his lips indicated that he was more than okay with Ada’s newfound aggression.

                Ada grinned and leaned her face slowly back towards his, pausing short of his waiting lips. She ghosted her own over them, backing just out of reach when he tried to reciprocate. She gave a quiet, breathy moan and moved her hips against his, just to further tease him.

                It was enough to push him over the edge. His eyes twinkling, he threw her from his lap onto the couch, swiftly climbing on top of her and hiking her dress above her waist. “I will have you right here, right now,” he growled into her ear, pressing rough kisses to her neck. He suddenly bit her tender flesh, causing her to gasp. He quickly licked the area to soothe it and resumed his trail of kisses up to her mouth.

                He was being much rougher with her than he was the night before, and Ada found herself thoroughly enjoying it. As Loki delved deeper into her mouth with his tongue, he all but tore her panties off and began to run his cool fingers around her opening. Ada whimpered and tried to shift closer to his touch.

                Without further warning, Loki pressed two digits deep into her warmth. The sudden pleasure caused Ada to break the kiss and arch her back, grabbing handfuls of his shirt. “Loki!” she called as he began to pump in and out of her.

                She came quickly and breathlessly, clinging to him as she did so. He smiled, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders as she shuddered in the aftermath. He slowly withdrew his fingers and she fell panting back onto the couch. She fumbled with her dress, thankful for the absence or a breastplate this evening, eventually just pulling the garment over her head and discarding it.

                By the time Ada had disrobed, Loki had his shirt off and was working on untying the front of his trousers. Ada watched hungrily as he freed his manhood, reaching up to stroke it as soon as it was sufficiently exposed. He awkwardly kicked off his trousers, becoming more and more distracted by her touch.

                Their lips crashed back together as the last of the clothes made their exit, Loki pumping into Ada’s hand as she stroked him. They pressed their bodies together almost desperately, each reveling in the feel of the other’s skin. Ada released her hold on his throbbing erection in favor of wrapping her legs around the back of his. Her hands roamed across his lithe body, flicking her fingers gently across his nipples and raking her fingernails down his back just hard enough to leave thin red lines. Loki moaned at the feeling.

                Unexpectedly, Loki wrapped her arms around Ada and lifted her up into the sitting position they had started in. His girth protruded between them and Ada began to caress it again lovingly, rubbing herself against him in the process. Loki’s hands attached themselves roughly to her breasts, kneading them and squeezing her erect nipples.

                She moaned and locked her eyes with his, increasing the speed of her strokes. His gaze ramped up her desire up to the next level and she elevated herself slightly, positioning his length below her as she did. She rubbed his head against her clit and gasped, supporting herself with one arm on the back of the couch.

                “Ride me, darling,” Loki said hoarsely, running his hands down to Ada’s hips to lower her onto him. “I want to see you pleasure yourself with me…”

                “Ah!” she exclaimed as she lowered herself the rest of the way, his girth completely filling her. He grunted as she began to slowly shift her hips back and forth, his erection buried in her to the hilt.

                As she became accustomed to the sensation of him inside her, she arched her back and placed both of her hands on his upper legs for support. Her gyrations became more determined, drawing him out of her and pushing him back in.

                He admired her form on top of him, her eyes closed in pleasure and her breasts bouncing slightly to the rhythm of her movements. Eventually, the feeling of him in that position became too much, and she leaned forward again with a whimper, pressing herself to him as she continued to move up and down. Loki caught her lips and kissed her deeply as he began to thrust into her in time to the pace she set.

                His length moved against Ada’s most sensitive spot inside her, and she cried out as she neared the edge. She rode him urgently, bringing him close to climax as well.

                “Yes, harder,” he grunted, digging his fingers into her thighs. “Harder, my Aðalrun, make me come…”

                Ada was only too happy to oblige, and cried out his name as they reached ecstasy at the same time. She slowed her pushes as she felt him pulse into her, the heat of his seed filling the warmth inside of her.

                She collapsed onto him, panting, resting her forehead on his shoulder, noting the sheen of sweat on his chest. She smiled weakly.

                Loki kissed her neck and began to softly trail his hands up and down her back. She felt him smile against her. “I could get used to having you this way,” he whispered, his breath tickling her bare skin.

                “If it’s like last night and tonight every time, you can have me any way you want!” Ada chuckled, lifting her head to look at him.

                Loki smirked mischievously. “I may take you up on that, my sweet,” he growled.


	22. Chapter 20

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

                Ada stirred in Loki’s bed, turning over and extending her arm to drape over him. When she found nothing but a pillow and cool sheets where he had slept next to her, she sat up and looked around, confused.

                She was surprised to find him standing some distance away, dressed in the dramatic leather armor that he was wearing the first time she met him. He fastened on a final metallic wrist bracer and turned to face her.

                “Good morning, Aðalrun,” Loki said quietly, his lips spreading into a smile. It was an innocuous greeting, but it somehow sounded… cold.

                Ada slowly raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Morning,” she croaked, her voice still raspy from overuse the night before and sleep. “Feeling fancy?”

                “Just… preparing.” His eyes darted toward the window for a moment. “I will most likely have callers today.”

                “Callers from the window?” Ada asked skeptically, shifting in the bed to face outside. The view from Loki’s room was the same as her own; the marble balcony overlooking the city, and beyond that the bifrost. But as her eyes adjusted to the morning sun, Ada could see a mass of gold moving down the rainbow road, entering Heimdall’s observatory. She scooted to the other side of the bed to be closer to the window and squinted. She was able to see that the wave of gold was actually made up of hundreds of individual gleaming helmets. “Are those… einherjar?” she gasped.

                “Indeed. It is the day of the invasion of Muspelheim, to reclaim Yggdrasil,” Loki said smoothly. She heard the tap of his boots on the stone floor as he walked up to the bed and sat down.

                She whipped her head around to face him. “I didn’t realize that would be _today_! Jane didn’t say anything, and she’s been keeping me updated…” she cocked her head, something occurring to her. “And how would you know about that? Did Thor tell you?”

                “It would be rather difficult to avoid knowing at this point,” Loki said with a nod to the window.

                Ada looked away, embarrassed. “True…”she sighed. “So… callers?”

                “I’m sure Frigga will be keeping me abreast of the situation on the battlefield,” he said a bit awkwardly. “If my _talents_ are needed, I shall be sent to the front lines as well. However, the situation would have to be quite dire for them to call on me for aid; you see, fire and ice traditionally do not mix well,” he trailed off, his brow knitting almost imperceptibly.

                “I should probably leave then,” Ada said. She meant her words to be more of a question than a statement of fact, and paused for Loki to respond.

                “Stay or go, it matters not.” He stared into the middle distance, his expression unreadable. “Although I would advise you to get dressed. I’ll fetch your clothes,” he stood to collect her dress from where she left it the night before, on the floor by the fire.

                As she watched him walk, Ada developed a tightness in the pit of her stomach. _He’s just worried_ , she thought, _And who can blame him?_ She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to repress a rising feeling of uneasiness.

As Loki turned to bring Ada’s dress to her, he noticed her body language the subtle lines of anxiety etched on her face. “What’s bothering you, pet?” he asked, his voice tinted with concern. He closed the distance between the fireplace and the bed in several long strides. He smirked as he delicately draped her clothes over the foot of the bed. “Are you perhaps apprehensive about the outcome of the invasion?”

                She stared at the limp dress, avoiding Loki’s eyes. “Well, a little. But I’m fine,” she said with a nod, trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true.

                She jumped a little as she felt two cool fingers grasp her chin and turn her face. “Come now,” Loki said softly, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “If you know me as the god of lies, then you should put more faith in my ability to recognize them.”

                Ada cracked a smile. “I also know you as the father of a snake, a wolf, and an eight-legged horse. I think we’ve pretty much established that my prior knowledge of you is a little… lacking.”

                Loki’s eyebrows shot up in shock, and he actually appeared to be speechless for a moment. He quickly replaced his shock with a more composed expression and grinned mischievously. “And who’s to say I’m not?”

                “I think your face said it all,” Ada laughed. As soon as the subject shifted away from the invasion, Loki’s mood seemed to brighten considerably; this at least supported the idea that his coldness was just due to stress.

                “What kind of horror stories to you Midgardians tell of us?” Loki chuckled. “You’ve mentioned your myths before, but you have never told any of them to me.”

                “Let me get dressed, and I’ll try to give you the abridged versions,” Ada said with a smile, reaching for her dress. As she pulled it over her head, she tried to ignore the remnants of the knot in her stomach.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                A rather stripped-down and somewhat frantic maid service cleaned Ada and Loki’s rooms that morning. Even when Drifa helped to dress her, she did so in a hurry; Ada wondered if the maids were preparing for the return of the soldiers.

                After she was dressed, she sat with Loki on the couch by the fire and recounted as many myths as she could remember, both involving him and not. He would occasionally laugh and ask questions (particularly about the Sleipnir story), but he was obviously preoccupied. He even stood up and paced the room several times, causing Ada to stop uncertainly. He urged her to continue even as he turned his back to her.

                Rather predictably, she was able to capture his full attention (at least temporarily) by relating the Lokasenna story. She had reached Loki’s tirade against Heimdall when they were joined by a messenger.

                “My lord!” the young blond man said with a deep bow, “I have been instructed to bring you news from the front.”

                Loki tensed and glanced at Ada before turning to face the messenger. “Well, what word have you, boy?”

                “I, ah…” he looked at Ada as well, wrinkling his nose. She rolled her eyes and he was met with a withering look when he faced Loki again. He cleared his throat before continuing. “My lord, with assistance from Heimdall, Prince Thor and the Allfather have discovered the location of Yggdrasil. They are focusing their efforts on clearing the enemy from it so it may be transported back to Asgard. You are to await further instruction.”

                “Very well,” Loki said, standing. “You may go.”

                The messenger scurried off after bowing once more. Loki sighed and placed his hands behind his back, blankly staring out the window.

                “Th-that’s good!” Ada said, smiling hopefully. She was slightly confused by Loki’s reaction. “That’s good, right?”

                “We can only hope that it _continues_ to be good,” Loki said flatly. “We still don’t know why the fire jotuns took the tree in the first place. For all we know, they may intend to burn it down while Thor and Odin watch helplessly.”

                The smile slowly fell from Ada’s face. “Thor and Odin must have some sort of intelligence on the fire jotuns,” she said weakly. “They wouldn’t just rush in head first without knowing what their enemy intended to do…” she trailed off as Loki turned to her with a deadpan expression.

                “It would surely be Ragnarok if those two had any intelligence about _anything_ ,” Loki said in a sour tone. “And yet, somehow, they always manage to return victorious from battle,” he sighed almost ruefully. “But there are elements involved in this particular situation that they seem not to fully appreciate- for example, the attempt to kidnap Jane. I am certain the jotuns didn’t simply forget the defenseless mortal sitting in Asgard.”

                Ada paled. “Do you think they’d try to take her from the palace? Won’t she be guarded?”

                “Jane is most likely with Frigga, awaiting news of the battle as we are,” Loki said. He sat back down a bit stiffly- his armor was apparently made more for intimidation than comfort. “In this case, Thor’s sentimentality may have made up for what he lacks in forethought. But just because she is in a safe place does not mean there won’t be an attempt to take her.” He turned to Ada and bared his teeth in a disturbingly menacing grin. “This is all just conjecture, of course.”

                She shrunk back in spite of herself, hoping that Loki wouldn’t read too much into her display of weakness. And as that hope flickered in her mind, so did a worrying thought: _What kind of a man am I with that I have to be concerned about showing weakness?_

                The frightening expression evaporated just as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by Loki’s mischievous smirk. “Perhaps I should inquire about vacant military strategist positions in other realms. It seems a terrible waste of my talents to waste away in my quarters for centuries.” He draped his arm over the couch behind her shoulders. The chilled temperature of his leather armor somehow felt harsher than the usual coolness of his skin.

                This was not the time to have a chat about their relationship, but Ada suddenly had the sense that the subject was unavoidable. After a line of conversation like _that_ , she thought it wouldn’t hurt to set some things straight; besides, she could never hope to hide how unnerved she was. And hadn’t she decided during their earliest meetings that honesty was the best policy with Loki?

                She looked him in the eye, even though his sparkling gaze would probably be more of a hindrance than a help. “Loki,” she began, relieved that her voice didn’t crack. She continued with more confidence. “You’re scaring me. I mean, you’ve been scary today, and you’ve certainly been scary in the past, but don’t you think that…” she paused and furrowed her brow slightly. “That, given our circumstances, given whatever _we_ are, I shouldn’t be frightened of you?”

                Loki frowned, taking a moment to process Ada’s words. It was almost as if the concept of intimacy with a lack of intimidation had never crossed his mind. She wondered uneasily if he had ever even been in a relationship where the power balance wasn’t tipped overwhelmingly in his favor.

                “I…” he started, leaning back and cupping his chin in thought. “But of _course_ you’re frightened of me, I am superior to you in every way. You would be foolhardy indeed to not fear me.”

                Ada didn’t fear him enough to not instantly become outraged at his train of thought. “ _Excuse me_ ,” she snapped. Her eyes narrowed. “After everything, and that’s- that’s the way you-? I guess I’m just used to sleeping with regular old _human_ dirtbags with ego issues!” She made a move to stand. _Let him stew in here, scheming and plotting_ , she thought. _If Thor and Odin have found Yggdrasil, it’s only a matter of time before Jane and I can go home and forget about all this-_

                “Wait, no, no, that’s not what I meant,” Loki said quickly, catching Ada’s wrist before she rose from the couch. “ _Dirtbag?_ ” he muttered under his breath.

                “I don’t know, I thought you were pretty clear,” she shot back. She sighed heavily, the weight of the day and her feelings suddenly crashing down on her. “I just thought we had moved at least a _little_ past the “lowly mortal” thing. Or is that just because I’m some miniscule fraction Asgardian? Doesn’t really matter, does it.” She could see that Loki wanted to interject, but she didn’t want to be silenced so quickly by whatever charming words he had ready to go. “Like I said before, I love spending time with you, and I’ll be damned if you’re not the best data source anyone’s ever had, but I was silly to think-“ she waved her hand vaguely, “- _this_ would ever work. It _was_ fun though.” She cracked a half-hearted smile.

                She suddenly found it extremely difficult to read Loki’s expression; if she didn’t know better, she would say he was glaring at her. But did she really know better at this point?

                “ _Be quiet_ , you stupid, _stupid_ thing!” He hissed, suddenly pulling her into a rough kiss, made even rougher by his stiff armor. Ada resisted initially, but found she couldn’t help but let herself go.

                Loki’s eyes were intense and dark and _brilliantly_ green when he pulled away to look at her. “You are mortal, and therefore naturally inferior. But I don’t care.”

                Ada rolled her eyes. Was that supposed to be sweet?

                Loki grumbled at her reaction and suddenly seemed to be trying to bore holes through her with his gaze. “In my eyes, you surpass your race in both intellect and beauty. I never thought I would feel anything besides hatred and disdain for Midgardians, but as I said before, you caught me off guard,” his posture then slumped slightly, and the spark seemed to leave his eyes. “I am, for better or worse, entrenched in my view of the other races of the Nine Realms; this is both as a result of my Asgardian upbringing and my more recent discovery of my true nature. Midgardians, for all their perceived inferiority and inability to fully harness the power possessed by the inhabitants of other realms, still seem to occasionally produce extraordinary individuals… such as those I met in New York,” he added under his breath. He locked his gaze with Ada’s. “And yourself.”

                Despite the color his compliments had brought to her cheeks, Ada was still less than pleased with Loki… but at least he was _trying_. “I really don’t think you should be lumping me in with the Avengers,” she chuckled. “If it’s any comfort… and it’s probably not… I never expected to have something like-“ she made the same vague hand motion as before, “- _this_ with a Norse god-slash-alien.”

                Loki smiled sincerely for the first time that day. “And from the stories you’ve told me, you probably never _wanted_ it either. But, tell me: what is the _this_ that you keep referring to?”

                Ada squeezed her eyes shut in dread before she could help herself. She wasn’t sure if this was an issue of cultural differences or an actual question on the status of their relationship; she prayed it was the former. She opened her eyes slowly to find Loki looking at her with concern. “Er… well… on Midgard, there’s not really a word for the concept of two people _being_ together without _being together_. So, I don’t really know-“

                Loki cut her off with a laugh. “My, I have never heard you use so many words with so little meaning!” He placed his hand on hers. “I thought we had already established that you are mine?”

                Ada flushed. “I, um, thought that was just a thing that was sexy when we… you know…” She coughed and frowned at him, returning to reality. “Besides, I’m not really up for being your possession.”

                “Oh but sweetling, do you not understand? I am yours as well,” Loki said simply but playfully. “You are no courtesan, here for only one purpose! We belong to one another.”

                “B-but you barely even know me,” Ada stammered, blushing all the way up to her ears.

                Loki squeezed her hand. “That only serves to interest me more.”

                Ada gulped. “And what happens when you find out everything? I _am_ only mortal, after all. I haven’t been around that long.”

                “Aðalrun,” he said, his tone suddenly serious and his smile replaced by an earnest look. “When this is all over, I would have you by my side for as long as you desire. And until then, I will protect you from whatever harm this conflict may threaten you with, you have my word. But you must trust me.”

                Ada was taken aback by Loki’s sudden seriousness regarding both their future and the current military actions. That was what he was talking about, right? “Do you think the fire jotuns will make it to Asgard?” she asked timidly.

                Loki’s expression did not change. “Promise me,” he said. It was almost a demand.

                “O-okay…” Ada said quietly. What else could she do? Anyway, promising to be protected was hardly the worst thing Loki could ask her to do.

                She nearly jumped off the couch when she heard the bang of Loki’s front doors being roughly opened. The sound was quickly followed by the messenger from before throwing open the bedroom doors and skidding into the room. Loki simply turned to look at the man, his body language exhibiting no sign of being at all startled.

                “My lord!” the messenger called breathlessly. “Yggdrasil has been set alight! The Allfather and Prince Thor require your aid!”

                The report actually caused Loki to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “ _That_ is something I honestly did not expect,” he said, an almost imperceptible amount of astonishment present in his voice.

                “You are to immediately go to the Allfather’s vault and retrieve your weapon,” the messenger went on hesitantly. “I-I was told that you would understand what that meant.”

                “The Casket of Ancient Winters,” Loki said reverently. He stood and straightened his leather coat. “I never thought Odin would ever _request_ that I use it!” He laughed bitterly. The messenger winced at the sound.

                “Loki?” Ada breathed, standing as well. She tugged at her skirt nervously.

                “My dear,” Loki whirled to face her, grasping her shoulders again. He pulled her into a brief but passionate kiss. When their lips separated and Ada looked into his eyes, she could see excitement and apprehension… and a flash of blue. “I shall dine beside you at the victory feast tonight!”

                With that, he and the messenger were gone, the sound of flapping leather and quickly clicking boots following them out the door.

                Ada’s legs collapsed underneath her and she sat down hard on the couch, the loose pillows bouncing from her impact. “Holy shit, what a week,” she muttered.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

                Ada hauled herself back to her room a few minutes after Loki left. It was a strange feeling to be in his room without him; on a better day, she probably would’ve rifled through his drawers out of curiosity or parked herself in his library, but the atmosphere of the room was still so heavy with stress and emotion that she found she couldn’t bear to be in it any longer.

                As she walked by the open door to her living area, she noticed something was different, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She poked her head in, and quickly recognized the change: her two einherjar guards were gone. Excitement fluttered in her chest for a moment at finally having her room to herself, although the feeling was quickly dampened by her realization that she was now defenseless in case of an attack.

                Despite Loki’s disturbing implication that there might be conflict in the palace, Ada was still having trouble believing it. According to the history book Loki had lent her, Odin had presided over a peaceful Asgard for at least a millennium; despite his numerous military campaigns in other realms, his enemies had never even made it close to the palace. He had to be doing _something_ right.

                Ada slowly began to realize that the temperature in her quarters had risen exponentially since she had returned to them. She tugged on her armor uncomfortably- it was starting to feel stifling.

                She threw open the doors to her balcony, but found no respite: if anything, it was hotter outside. She stuck out her tongue in an exaggerated pant and fanned herself with her hand.

                What would normally be a pleasantly temperate afternoon for Asgard, with a comfortably cool breeze blowing beneath a cloudless blue sky, seemed to be being forced into a heat wave. The sky was the dull color of grey that comes in the dead of summer, and the air felt almost stagnant. This sudden climate shift was worrying to say the least.

                Ada suddenly saw something flash above her out of the corner of her eye. She craned her neck to look at the sky in the direction of the sudden light, and jumped when a bright orange bolt of lightning temporarily seemed to rip the sky apart. Despite a fair amount of misgivings, she stepped out onto her balcony to have a better look. That was when she saw it.

                On the horizon, just above Heimdall’s observatory, a storm seemed to be gathering. No, not a storm; storms didn’t glow yellow and orange and red. Colossal flames were slowly spreading from just beyond the stars past the bifrost, licking the already exhausted looking sky. The fire moved in the same manner as a front would, leaving a burnt blackness in its wake.

                As she watched the movement of the firestorm, she remembered the words of the messenger in Loki’s room: “ _Yggdrasil has been set alight!_ ” If what Jane had said about Yggdrasil being a sort of universal computer was true, then the flames in the sky must be from the tree burning in Muspelheim! Ada’s stomach sank as she recalled the Ragnarok prophecy and the prediction of the burning of the realms. She gripped the handle of the glass door tightly.

                And what exactly did they expect Loki to do to help? As he’d said, fire and ice don’t mix very well. Then again, the Casket of Ancient Winters that he mentioned sounded like some sort of a powerful (and ice themed) secret weapon. But what could he do with it? Freeze the tree into some sort of an Yggdra-cicle?

                Ada snorted at her horrible pun, distracting herself momentarily from the creeping cloud of fire. It was now directly above Heimdall’s observatory and, as if a flaming cloud on its own wasn’t scary enough, it seemed to be beginning to drop small burning hailstones. She watched them ping off the metallic building, ricocheting into the water below. Another fiery lightning bolt cracked above the palace.

                Ada pondered leaving her unguarded room to try to find Jane- why not spend the end of the world in the company of friends?- but she found herself glued to the spot, watching helplessly as the flames edged closer. She wiped the multitudinous beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand, squinting at the ever increasing brightness of the sky. The hailstones looked to be pelting the perimeter of the city now; she hoped everyone was inside.

                She felt strangely less frightened than she probably should’ve been. It wasn’t that she wasn’t scared at all, but the scene unfolding before her was so surreal that she was more fascinated than terrified. _That’ll probably change when I start getting hit with burning embers_ , she thought.

                Wispy tendrils of smoke had begun to rise from between the buildings closest to the bifrost, adding to the stench of burning that permeated the air. A gust of hot wind blew directly into Ada’s face, the smoke heavy air stinging her eyes. She took a step backward, coughing.

                Before she had fully recovered, a blast of frigid air unexpectedly struck her like a freight train; the violent temperature shift knocked the wind out of her and she stumbled and fell onto her bottom in the doorway. It felt as if she had passed through several strata of burning hot and freezing cold temperatures before she had hit the ground, and even now her face was still sweating while her arms developed goosebumps. The cool eventually seemed to prevail after a short stalemate- she felt the moisture on her neck take on the more reasonable temperature of the air around her. The change crept up her face and eventually through her hair. She sighed in relief, but followed up with a small shiver.

                The flames in the sky had stopped in their tracks, and the hailstones were no longer alight- they now had the appearance of charcoal projectiles, which, while still dangerous to be hit by, at least wouldn’t set anything on fire. She slowly and awkwardly stood back up, and was quite surprised that the temperature had now fallen to the point that she could see her breath. She darted inside and snatched Loki’s cloak from where it hung on the corner of her wardrobe, wrapping herself up before she returned to the balcony.

                This time, she ventured all the way outside, resting her hands on the marble railing and carefully observing the events unfolding above. The fire was now retreating, although it left behind black scorch marks on the darkening grey sky.

                It took several minutes, but eventually the flames disappeared back into the stars beyond the observatory. Ada wondered if the black lines across the heavens were permanent.

                A distant metallic whirring sound cut through the frosty air, and she looked around for its source. She caught a movement at the end of the bifrost; the cone on the end of Heimdall’s observatory seemed to be spinning, and quickly at that. As it spun, the circular building appeared to roll, aiming the point of the cone directly at the palace.

                A sparkling beam of light suddenly burst from the tip, impacting the palace with a bang. The whole place shook, and Ada had to steady herself on the railing. She heard the crash of something breakable take a tumble in her room.

                She hung over the edge of her balcony, trying to figure out if Heimdall had just fired on the palace for some reason or if there was some other purpose to… _whatever_ just happened. In the moment, she completely forgot about the shield that surrounded the outside of her room until she felt the sharp pain of the skin of her scalp being burnt. She fell backwards onto her bottom for the second time that day, yelping as she landed on her already bruised tailbone.

                From the brief look she got, there didn’t seem to be any damage to the palace where the light had impacted it. She slowly pulled herself into a kneeling position and peered out across the city through the pillars that supported the railing. The observatory had returned to its original position, the still-spinning cone pointed out to the heavens.

                It began to fire dots and dashes of the same sparkling light that had impacted the palace- or was it _receiving_ the light? Ada squinted to try and discern its motion, but was quickly distracted by the emergence of a crowd of golden-armored einerjar from the observatory. They bore stretchers- _many_ stretchers, apparently occupied by injured comrades- and rushed along the bifrost in the direction of the city. Halfway there, a flying boat like the one Ada and Jane had arrived in swooped down and collected the men on the stretchers. Another boat flew directly to the observatory and began loading on the injured as they arrived back to Asgard.

                Ada’s heart sunk as casualties continued to pour out of the observatory; the first two flying boats turned to return to the city, replaced by three more. She hauled herself back up to a standing position, willing herself not to strain her eyes looking for a figure in green and black among the sea of gold, perhaps on a stretcher… _No_ , she thought, shaking her head violently. She was momentarily distracted by several singed hairs that drifted down in front of her eyes. She felt around on her head and was mortified to find a rather painfully burnt bald spot a little bigger than a quarter. With a heavy sigh, she dragged her hand down the side of her face. _I guess I’ll be parting my hair the other direction for the time being…_

She rested her elbows on the railing and placed her chin between her hands, blowing a nervous breath out through puckered lips. She watched it materialize for a moment in the freezing air, only to quickly dissipate as it drifted away from her mouth. She did this several times, anxiously watching the activity at the observatory. The flood of wounded seemed to be easing slightly; although einherjar continued to hobble out onto a waiting boat, fewer stretchers were appearing.

                “My lady!” a familiar voice called out onto the balcony, nearly making Ada jump straight back into the shield.

                “Drifa…?” she asked uncertainly as the older woman walked into sight between the open glass doors. She smiled at the familiar, if predictably deadpan, face.

                “You complain of the cold every day, and yet here you are outside, half frozen,” Drifa said, cracking as much of a smile as could be expected of her. “I bear a message from the queen. Do come inside so you do not freeze to death before I can relate it to you.”

                “I, er, I’m fine out here I think…” Ada said, tugging the Loki’s cloak tightly around her. She kept the bifrost in her peripheral vision.

                Drifa followed her gaze then looked back to Ada. “It is doubtful Loki will be returning by way of the bifrost,” she said, guessing her thoughts. “I believe he prefers to travel rather more discretely; he knows the secret paths between the realms like the back of his hand.”

                Ada smiled crookedly. “He would,” she chuckled. She looked up to the sky as she began to feel snowflakes as cool prickles on her cheeks.

                Drifa stepped onto the balcony, crossing her arms against the cold. She joined her at the railing and they watched another flying boat depart. “Queen Frigga wishes to inform you that all has gone well on Muspelheim,” she said with no further introduction. “Loki served with his father and brother admirably, and shall soon be returning. Thanks to his efforts, Heimdall was able to transport Yggdrasil back to the safety of the palace. I’m sure you felt it settle back into place.”

                _Ah, that must’ve been what the beam of light was_ , Ada thought, relieved that it wasn’t anything more sinister.

                Drifa continued. “Prince Thor and the Allfather are commanding their victorious army back to Asgard. There is to be a feast tonight, and I am to assist you with your dress… as usual,” she added with a touch of sarcasm.

                “What, _now_?” Ada asked incredulously. “Isn’t that being a little… _optimistic_? I mean, Thor and Odin aren’t even back yet, what if something happens? I don’t mean to be a Negative Nancy, but shouldn’t we wait a while?”

                “ _Negative Nancy?_ ” Drifa repeated, cocking her head slightly, her oversized earrings jingling in response to the motion. She cleared her throat and wiped the hint of curiosity from her face. “I believe that if Prince Thor and the Allfather have the time to call for a celebratory banquet from the field of battle, their victory is fairly certain.”

                Ada cast her eyes down momentarily. “True…” she conceded with a sigh. She turned from her view of the bifrost to face Drifa. “So, what exactly does one wear to a victory banquet?”

                Drifa opened her mouth to answer, but whatever sound she made was drowned out by the crash of Ada’s front doors being thrown open. Ada was only slightly startled; it seemed like someone was always throwing some door or another open in both her and Loki’s rooms. She did stand up straight, however, at the sight of a rather bedraggled looking Loki striding purposefully toward her, his horned helmet adding another foot to his already towering frame. As he neared her, he removed it, and thrust it toward one of the frantic looking women following him.

                Ada noticed with dismay that the helmet was now smeared with blood where he held it.

                “Loki!” she called, reaching out to him, her eyes growing wide. “Are you okay?! You’re hurt, what happened?”

                “Ah, well, I was in a battle, you see,” he said flippantly, but obviously bubbling with excitement. He jerked his head to the women following him. “The healers insisted I go with them upon my return, but I wanted to have a bit of a welcome home first…”

                “But…!” Ada started, looking him up and down for the source of the blood, finally identifying a several tears in the fabric of his left sleeve. She was unable to see how serious the wound was though, as he snaked his right arm around her middle and caught her gaze.

                His eyes were wild, reflecting a muddled mix of blue and green, but the heavy bags below them were so dark that they almost appeared bruised. She couldn’t tell if his expression indicated a desire to collapse and sleep for a week or a desire to eat her alive… and _then_ collapse and sleep for a week.

                “I will have you right now on this balcony,” Loki growled, pulling her waist to him tightly and at the same time pushing his hips suggestively into hers. So it was the second option.

                “I would prefer if you didn’t!” she squeaked, her voice several octaves higher than she meant it to be. She looked at Drifa and the healers over his shoulder with a mix of apology and confusion.

                “Afraid of an audience?” he hissed into her ear. He nipped it gently to drive his point home.

                “ _What_?! I- well, _yes_!” Ada spluttered, pushing him away slightly. “Who gets _aroused_ after being injured in battle?! Is that a thing?” she looked over his shoulder again to Drifa and the others. “Is that really a thing?” she asked again, not really expecting an answer.

                Loki chuckled darkly and nuzzled back into her hair. As he took a breath, he paused. He sniffed a couple of times and pulled away to look at the top of her head, placing his hand on the side of her face. “What did you get up to while I was away?” he asked, examining her burnt hair and bald spot. A smirk crept across his lips.

                “ _Absolutely nothing_ ,” Ada said resolutely, pawing at her hair to cover the spot. “Go to the healing rooms!”

                Loki threw back his head in hearty laughter. He quickly drew her into a passionate kiss, which liquefied her insides to the point that she wasn’t quite as aggravated. When their lips separated, he looked down into her eyes. “When I’ve mended, I shall come to fetch you for the victory feast. I look forward to displaying your beauty to all of Asgard! And then…” he trailed off with a wolfish grin.

                Ada’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “ _Healing rooms_ ,” she managed to insist.

                Loki turned on his heel with a chuckle, and swept past the two healers. They called after him weakly, following just behind the hem of his swishing cape.

                Ada closed her eyes with a sigh and placed a hand on her chest. She leaned back heavily on the railing.

                “ _Now_ will you be dressed?” Drifa’s monotone voice snapped her out of her reverie. She looked up to find her wearing a hint of a smirk. “And shall I try to select a gown that is easy to remove?”

                A fresh blush colored Ada’s face. Unable to think of a response, she simply shook her head “no” vehemently and hurried past Drifa into her warm room. She could’ve sworn she heard her chuckle quietly as she followed her in.

 

Author’s note: I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who’s read, liked, kudo’d, and commented on this! It means so much more to me than anyone could ever fathom. If it weren’t for your great responses, I would’ve stopped writing about 20 chapters ago. I love all of you! Here's to a few more chapters! :D


	24. Chapter 24

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

Extra long chapter to kick your week off right!

                Ada’s whole body felt heavy; not from exhaustion, or an adrenaline hangover, but from the sheer amount of clothing and jewelry she had been forced into by Drifa. Instead of the usual breastplate, Drifa had retrieved what could best be described as a wide golden metal belt from the back of the wardrobe. It was heavily embellished, overlaid with a complex pattern of swirls and whiplash curves. It covered the entire area between the top of Ada’s bellybutton and just below her breasts, coming to a subtle point between them, which was accented with a red jewel.

                Waterfalls of translucent green and maroon fabric spilled from beneath two ornate golden shoulder guards, connected by a delicate chain across her chest. As if that wasn’t enough gold already, Drifa had selected a thick golden choker and a matching pair of gaudy gold earrings to match. Ada wondered how much all of this would be worth on earth.

                To top it off, she sported a golden headband for the sole purpose of covering her shield-induced bald spot; according to Drifa, such a small injury would be quickly taken care of in the healing rooms, but they had their hands full at the moment dealing with wounded einherjar.

                After Drifa gave her a final inspection and judged her appropriately outfitted for the occasion, she left Ada in her room to wait for Loki. As usual, Ada was feeling a little fuzzy on what time it was, which was exacerbated by the fact that the sky outside was still dark grey and producing fat snowflakes. She wasn’t sure if the feast was minutes or hours away- she assumed hours, due to the sheer amount of food preparation that would be required.

                Ada took a seat cautiously at the desk in her bedroom, trying to be careful not to sit on her dress in such a way that it would become wrinkled. Her earrings jingled as she shifted to arrange her skirt.

                She stretched her harms out absentmindedly across the table, her fingertips coming to rest on her recently neglected linguistic notes. She pulled them to her, furrowing her brow as she flipped through the pages. She was happy with her analysis so far, although it could use some polishing (and more data). _After the feast, I’ll ask Loki-_

                Ada stopped mid-thought, an almost embarrassing amount of dread filling her stomach. Yggdrasil was back in Asgard. There was now no longer a reason for Heimdall to be too busy to send she and Jane back to earth, and she had a feeling Odin would quickly take advantage of the guardian’s newfound free time.

                She had experienced long-distance relationships with varying degrees of success in the past, but she and Loki’s situation would be more extreme to an almost laughable degree. Then again, Jane had apparently dealt with a similar circumstance for the past couple of years and things seemed to work out alright for her. Even if her communication with Thor during that period was… well, non-existent.

                Who was Ada kidding, Jane had seemed miserable every time the subject of her then-mystery boyfriend was brought up. She chewed on her thumbnail anxiously. Ada didn’t think she was emotionally equipped to handle that kind of radio silence for any long period of time, and began to wonder how Jane seemed to deal with it so well. No wonder she had thrown herself into her doctoral work so fiercely.

                _Actually, that’s probably a good idea_ , Ada thought, tapping her pages of notes on the table to even them. _Don’t want to get all depressed before the party_.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Ada powered through five more pages of parsing and struggling with syntactic trees in a little over an hour, driven by her determination not to think too hard about her looming trip home. She stuck her quill in between her teeth and leaned her chair back onto two legs to give some further consideration to the tense of a particular verb when there was a knock on the connecting door. She nearly spat out her quill; not once since she had been in Asgard had anyone knocked on a door when they could simply throw it open.

                “C-come in?” she said uncertainly, maneuvering the chair back into its proper position and placing her quill on the table. It was probably only Loki, coming to pick her up. Although, if his display on the balcony earlier was any indicator, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to wait for anything, let alone a response to a knock. The emergence of the edge of a golden horn as the door slowly opened confirmed her suspicion, however.

                Ada stood as Loki appeared in the doorway grinning, trailed by two ruddy-faced and glaring einherjar. She was initially almost dazed by his formal garb; he was even more bedecked in gold than she was. Instead of the leather he wore into the battle, he was outfitted in gleaming gold armor, almost in the same style as Thor’s. He carried his helmet under one arm, somehow not appearing awkward despite the fact that its two enormous horns curved back nearly into his shoulder. The green of his cape and undershirt seemed to be a shade lighter than usual, and added to the surprising warmth of his countenance.

                “Hello, my dear Aðalrun,” he purred, taking another step into her room. “Would you care to accompany me to dinner?”

                Ada felt like her crooked smile might be permanently plastered across her face. He looked absolutely… well, divine. Color rose to her cheeks as she began to fully comprehend the fact that she would be walking into a feast with the Norse pantheon on the arm of the god of mischief (even if they all were technically aliens. Hell, that just added to the excitement).

                “I-“ she started, sidestepping her chair to make her way to Loki’s outstretched arm… not realizing the over-long fabric of her sleeve was caught up around the inkwell. She felt the tug of its weight too late as the material pulled it to the very edge of the table.

                “ _Shit!_ ” she squeaked as the inkwell tipped onto the floor and the hem of her skirt, creating an uneven black blotch that stood out horribly against the delicate colors of her gown. As terrible as ruining this gorgeous dress was, though, she thanked her lucky stars that her notes were spared. She looked back up to Loki, sheepish and guilty.

                Loki met her concern with a laugh and a graceful flick of his wrist. The dark ink was seemingly sucked out of the material of Ada’s dress and the carpet, retreating in a steady stream back to the inkwell, which subsequently flipped itself back onto the table as if nothing had happened. “Honestly, what am I to do with you?” he asked with a further chuckle.

                Ada’s mouth fell open in awe of Loki’s magic, tugging her dress above her knees to more closely examine the lack of ink. “Did you just _reverse time_?!” she asked incredulously.

                “My, no!” Loki guffawed. “I merely returned the ink to its bottle, and the bottle to its rightful place. Magic may be powerful, but not powerful enough to meddle with the flow of time! I do appreciate the show, by the way,” he added, looking pointedly at Ada’s exposed legs.

                She flushed and dropped her skirt back to the floor. She glanced behind him at the einherjar, hoping they hadn’t seen anything too interesting, but they were simply glaring off into space. They seemed even grumpier than normal einherjar; she wondered if they were from a special unit or something.

                “Now come,” Loki said, placing his helmet on his head with authority and offering his hand.

                Ada was momentarily frozen in place but how royal he truly looked in his golden armor. Her wonder caused her to experience a fleeting moment of self-doubt- how could she ever hope to appear worthy of someone like Loki, especially in the eyes of a room full of gods? However, she was easily reassured by the warmth in Loki’s emerald eyes and the recollection of their earlier conversation. She wasn’t any less worthy of his attention than he was of hers; she needed to stop thinking of him so much as a god and more as just a _person_ … or boyfriend, although that term felt a little awkward when she thought about it. It somehow didn’t live up to whatever it was they were involved in.

                Ada grinned wide and took his hand. Seeing him so happy made her feel more confident about whatever their future might hold.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                The two einherjar walked silently behind them as they made their way through the palace. Ada found herself beginning to recognize the increasingly grand but empty halls they were passing through- she and Jane had taken a similar path the opposite direction on their first night in Asgard.

                However, she also felt her shoulders slowly becoming heavy with anxiety. She slipped her hand out of Loki’s and wrapped her arm through his instead, hoping that the closer contact would calm her racing heart. Despite her best efforts to tell herself that the attendees of the feast were not, in fact, actual gods but aliens, there was still no getting around the fact that they were alien _royalty_. Even though she was currently being escorted by a member of said royalty… actually, never mind, that made it _worse_. There was no way she could escape the attention of the guests when she walked in with the prince.

                The clamor of what Ada thought must be hundreds of voices echoed through the halls, hardly able to be contained by the grand closed doors she and Loki were approaching. Through her haze of nervousness, she could make out a broad-shouldered figure dressed in red and blue silhouetted against the warm walls of the hall, wearing a winged silver helmet. She almost didn’t recognize Thor without his free-flowing golden locks; despite the fact he had always been wearing some variant of his armor every time they had met, he always seemed to have an air of decidedly casual confidence about him. Dressed like this, however, he seemed to radiate a more subdued, almost peaceful strength.

                But Ada certainly didn’t recognize the woman on his arm. Her hair was arranged into a muted version of the style that Frigga favored, although due to its shorter length, it could only form the halo portion. It was woven with silver threads to match the silver breastplate that she wore over a dress that was Thor’s shade of blue. She seemed to twinkle as she turned, hearing Ada and Loki’s approaching footsteps. Ada’s mouth dropped open as soon as she could see her face in profile.

                “Jane?!” she called out in surprise. No matter how Jane dressed, Ada always thought she looked young for her age. But now, standing with Thor in front of the great hall, she looked almost as regal as the queen herself.

                The illusion was broken when Jane began to bounce up and down and wave at Ada, grinning like a maniac. Ada smiled to herself; she had seen that expression fairly regularly in the time they had spent in Asgard. Jane might as well have been shouting, “I’ve learned something REALLY interesting and HORRENDOUSLY complicated!”

                Thor turned to see what had Jane so excited and smiled wide at Ada and Loki. “Brother!” he said over Jane’s head as they came up beside him. “I nearly thought you wouldn’t be joining us, what with your _life-threatening_ injury!”

                Loki rolled his eyes but the smallest of smirks rose to his lips as he and Ada stopped beside Jane and Thor. “My injury was nothing compared to the one received by your ego when your cape caught fire in front of the entire army.”

                Thor blushed furiously and looked away as Ada and Jane chuckled. “So,” Ada started, grinning at Jane, “what is it?”

                “What’s what?” Jane said with an edge of confusion. Ada realized her “SCIENCE!” expression was probably something she wasn’t even aware of.

                “Oh, you just looked like you wanted to tell me something,” Ada clarified.

                “You’re right! How did you know?” Jane’s face immediately brightened. Instead of waiting for a response, she launched into explanation mode. “You see this?” She withdrew her arm from Thor’s to gesture at her hair with both hands. “They do this with _magnets_! The silver thing in my hair is actually a chain of little, weak electromagnets that hold the style up like this! I don’t even know how it’s powered, I didn’t see a power supply when they were putting it on, but you better believe when it comes off that I-“

                “Jane,” Thor said gently, apparently a little worried about interrupting her. “We will be entering soon.”

                “Oh, right, sorry!” Jane said, grinning as she slipped her hand back around Thor’s arm. “How does this work again?”

                Thor gave her a warm smile. “Simply stay by my side after they announce us, and I shall lead us to our seats at the high table.”

                Ada whipped her head around to face Loki, her face scrunching with worry. “We’re being _announced_?!” she choked.

                Loki chuckled at her reaction. “What did you expect, my dear? I am the _son_ of the king, you know.” He spoke the words with surprisingly little bitterness, although there was a certain harshness in his voice that Ada didn’t recognize. She ignored it.

                “Well, yeah, but I mean… I’m okay in front of a crowd, but this crowd is a little different! How many gods are even in there?!” she asked, nervousness rising again.

                Loki smirked and patted her hand almost condescendingly. “According to your legends, aren’t we all technically gods?”

                “ _Not helping_ ,” Ada grumbled, prompting another laugh from Loki.

                The ruddy-faced guards took a position next to the doors, their heels clicking to attention. The sound caused Loki and Thor to face forward and stiffen slightly in anticipation of the doors being opened.

                “I seem to recall a similar situation not too long ago, brother,” Loki said quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching up.

                “Indeed,” Thor said in a similar tone. He turned to Loki and gave him his most radiant smile. “Let us now endeavor to make up for the events after my coronation by striving to do what is right by those we love!”

                With that, the einherjar pushed the doors open wide, revealing a massive space, filled with tables, food, and excited people. As the einherjar stepped through the door and raised their spears, a hush fell over the crowd.

                “Soldiers!” one of them announced, “My lords and ladies! Allfather and Allmother! May I present to you the princes Thor and Loki Odinson, and their companions Jane Foster and Aðalrun Paulsen!”

                An energetic round of applause began, and Ada felt a tug as Loki began to lead her down the center aisle toward the head table. To her right, Thor walked arm in arm with Jane, the people hooting and yelling in excitement when they passed. To her left was Loki, and a strangely more subdued crowd. She couldn’t clearly see their faces around Loki’s towering form, but they somehow looked… less than enthused.

                “Eyes forward, sweetling,” he whispered. “Wouldn’t want to disrespect the king.”

                Odin, Gungnir in hand, stood behind a raised table at the end of the hall, flanked by Frigga and four empty chairs. He looked at Thor with pride, his eye only wavering once to acknowledge Loki’s presence. The closer Ada got to the table, however, the more tired he appeared. While he was obviously making his best effort to act otherwise, he looked absolutely exhausted- almost frail.

                As Thor, Jane, Loki, and Ada mounted the first step up to the table, the princes bowed low to their father, leaving the girls scrambling to curtsy. They exchanged annoyed glances at the lack of forewarning of what was apparently feast protocol.

                As they straightened, Odin smiled and raised Gungnir. “The heroes of the day!” he boomed, “My sons, princes Thor and Loki!”

                A near-deafening cheer went up as Thor and Loki turned to face the room, Jane and Ada following suit. Thor raised Mjolnir high over his head with a boyish grin, looking around at the happy faces of his subjects. Loki smiled as well, but Ada could see that it was painfully forced. The adoring stares of the people that were directed at Thor were mixed with equally disdainful glares at Loki. Ada found she was having to force her smile as well, so as not to appear confused or concerned in front of the Asgardians, who had so little respect for mortals to begin with.

                Thankfully, Thor and Loki soon turned and continued to ascend the steps to Odin’s table. Loki and Ada went around one way towards a pair of empty seats beside Frigga, while Thor and Jane took a route to the right to join Odin.

                Loki gracefully pulled Ada’s chair out before taking his own seat, greeting the beaming Frigga with the first sincere smile she’d seen him give since they’d left her room.

                The ambient noise of the hall slowly began to rise to its earlier volume when it became obvious that everyone was settled behind the high table. As Frigga and Loki chatted quietly, Ada looked around in wonder at all the beautiful people in front of her- einherjar, their armor shining brightly, mingled with impeccably dressed men and women. Many wore the armor-like accessories that Ada had come to understand as a popular fashion trend, while others wore freely-flowing robes and dresses that sparkled as they moved.

                As she observed the crowd, she noticed again that unpleasant looks were occasionally being thrown in Loki’s direction. She raised an eyebrow; Loki was certainly a wanted criminal on earth, but did he have a similar reputation here?

                “Um, Loki…?” she started quietly, hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything. “I don’t mean to worry you, but I’ve noticed that, er…” she trailed off, searching for a tactful way to ask about the situation.

                “The reception that I’m being given?” Loki finished haughtily. “Many soldiers learned my true heritage today on Muspelheim when I used the Casket of Ancient Winters. Word travels through the ranks quickly, and through the palace quicker still; unfortunately, my subjects seem to have fixated on the fact that I am a jotun bastard rather than the fact that I saved their entire realm from being consumed by flame.”

                “I see…” Ada said weakly, the room suddenly seeming a great deal less welcoming.

                “Do not let it concern you, pet,” Loki said, running his fingers down her cheek in a move that was far too intimate for Ada’s liking, at least in public. And _boy_ was this public.

                She cast her eyes around the room again, trying not to linger on any one table for fear of catching their attention and being met with a glare. The tables closest to the head table’s platform were full of individuals wearing dress armor that was somewhat similar in style to Thor and Loki’s, and only marginally less grand. Four very animated figures dominated a table at the center right- a large bearded man who was apparently using a smaller bearded man as a prop to reenact some aspect of the day’s battle, a rather stoic-looking man who appeared to be fighting the urge to laugh, and a poised woman who had given herself over to the same urge.

                “Who are they?” Ada said with a nod, grinning at their antics. The woman clapped excitedly as the bearded man put the other into a headlock, upsetting several goblets of ale.

                “They are the Warriors Three,” Loki said with an ample amount of distaste. “Fandral the Dashing, Volstagg the Rotund, and Hogun the Silent.” Ada could tell by the false reverence in his voice that those titles were fabrications. “The woman by their side is the lady Sif, one of the realm’s fiercest fighters… she is worth more than those three oafs put together. I have never been fully aware of why she chooses to spend her time with the likes of Thor and the Three when she could be pursuing higher goals.”

                Sif and the men laughed heartily at something one of them had said. Her bright smile reminded Ada immediately of Thor- fitting, really, given the fact that they were married in Norse canon. Sif, perhaps sensing her stare, cast her eyes up to Ada at the head table. Her smile transitioned into a slightly curious look, and she nodded to acknowledge Ada’s presence. Ada found herself blushing and nodded back.

                Before she returned to her conversation with the Warriors Three, Sif spared the quickest of glances for Thor, who was animatedly describing some element of the battle on Muspelheim to Jane. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but the sad expression was gone before it even fully materialized on her face. Ada felt her heart sink slightly.

                “She has always loved my brother from afar,” Loki said quietly, catching Sif’s look as well.

                Ada cocked her head slightly in thought, recalling Thor’s assertion that Loki had once carried a torch for her. “But you too…” she said absentmindedly. She laughed nervously and scrambled to clarify what she meant when she realized the words had left her mouth. “Er, maybe not like she loves Thor, but I think she cares about you too! And the Warriors Three for that matter. If she’s happy with them, then no wonder she stays!”

                Loki looked down his nose with disdain at the group. “Sentimental…” he grumbled.

                Plates of carved meat appeared in front of he and Ada, interrupting the increasingly awkward conversation. As usual, there were no utensils present, and Ada looked around the room to see how the Asgardians were handling their food. To her surprise, no one had touched their food yet- even Volstagg, who looked positively desperate to dig in. She looked to Loki questioningly.

                Loki smirked and placed his hand over hers in her lap. “The Allfather must first address the guests,” he said in a rather off-puttingly singsong tone. He squeezed her hand and then withdrew, resting his elbows on the table expectantly.

                Sure enough, Odin soon stood, leaning heavily on Gungnir for support. Unsuccessfully masked concern was present in both Thor and Frigga’s eyes as they watched him struggle. Loki simply stared at the king blankly.

                “Citizens of this realm, and of others!” he began with the same booming volume he had used before, “We have much to celebrate this night! Yggdrasil is once again within the walls of the palace!”

                A cheer went up and Odin forced a smile, obviously slightly perturbed that he had to stop the momentum of his speech. He raised a hand for quiet and continued in a slightly thinner tone. “Without the heroics of my sons, the Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three, the day certainly would’ve been lost!”

                The aforementioned parties stood as their names were called and were greeted by looks of admiration- all except for Loki, whose now exposed jotun heritage was apparently now causing the guests to pointedly ignore him. Ada wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than the earlier glares.

                “We all owe our… our lives to their bravery, as well as the bravery of those that… fell in battle…” Odin went on haltingly. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, ignoring Thor and Frigga’s increasingly anxious faces. “It is for their sake that we feast tonight, so they shall know their sacrifices were not in vain as they… travel to Valhalla…”

                Odin suddenly winced and clutched his chest, sinking down to his knees behind the table, drawing a gasp from the crowd. The two gruff einherjar who had escorted Ada and Loki to the feast rushed to the table as Thor and Frigga stood. Jane scooted her chair back and stood as well, giving everyone room to work.

                Ada made a move to stand too, but Loki placed a surprisingly heavy hand on her shoulder, preventing her from rising. She could only watch as Thor took Odin by the arm to help him up, the einherjar steadying him from behind.

                Odin tried to wave Thor and the einherjar off, laboriously pulling himself back up with Gungnir. However, the staff slipped on the slick marble floor, and he collapsed completely. Entirely out of energy, the Allfather laid back and closed his eye, unable to fight off Odinsleep anymore.

                The crowd was burbling with confusion and shock. Ada looked around nervously, recalling Loki’s statement that the Allfather had kept his periods of regeneration secret from his people for fear of political unrest. But really, the soldiers and attendees looked far more concerned about the king’s wellbeing then they did about what would be a golden opportunity for a coup.

                Thor recovered his wits before his mother and turned to face the crowd with a stern but optimistic expression. “Soldiers, lords and ladies!” he called in a tone similar to Odin’s. “My sincerest apologies for this interruption in our celebrations! It appears that the Allfather overexerted himself commanding Asgard to victory. I must request that you clear the hall, so healers may-“

                Thor was cut short by a sharp and well-placed blow to the back of his head below his helmet. He emitted a choked grunt as he fell to the floor unconscious. One of the einherjar who had escorted Loki and Ada to the feast stood behind him with the shaft of his spear still raised from the strike. He looked out across the guests, smiled, and promptly burst into flames. His companion followed suit, as did other einherjar scattered strategically throughout the hall.

                “Fire jotuns,” Ada breathed, standing as Loki’s hand slipped from her shoulder. Both Jane and Frigga knelt beside Thor to try to rouse him.

                Several voices screamed from the crowd, and everyone suddenly began to move to the great doors in a crushing wave. The doors were quickly barred by fire jotuns, who used their einherjar spears to conduct jets of flame across the crowd, driving them back. Sif and the Warriors Three tried to push their way through to subdue the fire jotuns, but were trapped by the sheer number of panicked and jostling people- the likelihood of injuring an innocent Asgardian while trying to reach the jotuns was far too great for them to make any aggressive moves.

                Frigga spread her fingers over Thor’s prone form, her hands beginning to glow with healing magic, but she was roughly jerked to her feet by a fire jotun. She struggled against his grip and successfully repelled him with a blast of magic, scrambling to retrieve the sword from Odin’s belt. Unwilling to put up with any more resistance, the fire jotun knocked her in the back of the head in the same manner as he had with Thor. She crumpled to the ground.

                The fire jotun suddenly found himself with a hole through his chest. He looked up in shock; Loki’s red frost giant eyes were the last thing he saw.

                Ada took a step back to better absorb the situation. Loki stood beside her in his brilliantly blue jotun form, clutching a lighter blue object contained within a dark grey metal frame. Given the sheer amount of cold radiating from it, she surmised it was the Casket of Ancient Winters that Loki had used in the battle. He twisted his hands and the object disappeared. Ada smiled, relieved that Loki was still conscious and ready to defend.

                However, the fall of their comrade caused no stir among the other fire jotuns; they made no move to attack Loki, who stood up straight and tossed his head back dramatically. He flicked a hand at Jane, whose wrists and ankles were suddenly bound by thick black rope. She shouted obscenities at him as a fire jotun hauled her up by the back of her breastplate. Loki ignored her and nodded to her captor, who carried her off to an access door behind a low-hanging tapestry.

                “ADA!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the hall. “Ada, _RUN_!”

                Ada tensed, the reality of the situation washing over her, and began backing away as the remaining fire jotuns at the head table began to gather up Thor, Odin, and Frigga.

                “Not the queen,” Loki said calmly, his voice as icy as his skin. “I shall deal with her myself.” He turned slowly to Ada, his face frighteningly expressionless.

                “Loki… what…?” Ada said hoarsely, continuing to back away. She found her route suddenly blocked by another fire jotun.

                Loki simply smirked, his terrifying red eyes dancing.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author’s Note** : The character ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in “them”

 

               Ada stared at Loki with fear in her eyes, keeping the fire jotun behind her in her peripheral vision. She waited for one party or the other to make a move, hoping against hope that Loki would take down the jotun with an icy blast.

                “Seize the mortal,” Loki said flatly, his voice pointedly devoid of emotion and the smirk melting from his lips. Paying her no further heed, he stooped down to collect Gungnir, long since abandoned on the floor.

                Ada’s fearful face quickly morphed into one of shock, and anger quickly thereafter. She felt the jotun advancing on her more than she saw him. She decided to do something stupid.

                She snatched one of the untouched plates of meat from the table and hurled it towards the jotun Frisbee-style, hoping to at least glance him. The plate missed completely, but the food flung across his body and face. Ada hoped at first that it would serve as a small distraction, but was dismayed to find the meat simply blackened and crumbled away against the flames of his body. She gulped and grabbed another plate, backing away from the jotun while still trying to remain a safe distance away from Loki, who was now standing with Odin’s staff in hand.

                “By the norns,” his exasperated voice suddenly rang out, “she can’t  _hurt_  you! What are you waiting for?”

                Ada glanced in his direction, still taken aback by his sudden animosity. The jotun took the opportunity to grab her upper arms, causing her to drop the plate with a crash.

                For a fraction of a second, all she could feel was the pressure of his grip. The feeling then flashed into a searing pain and she screamed, her legs failing her.

                “Don’t burn her arms off, you witless piece of firewood!” Loki shouted, knocking the jotun in the face with Gungnir. He let go and stumbled back, leaving Ada to fall to her knees.

                The fabric of Ada’s long, flowing sleeves had been burnt off unevenly at the shoulders, and some of the remaining material was still alight. She whacked at the flames threatening to burn their way up to her shoulder guards, successfully putting out the fire, but exacerbating her already excruciating burns. She clenched her jaw to keep from making any more noise and made a move to rise again, her eyes darting about looking for a route of escape.

                She was hauled up instead by two pairs of unpleasantly warm hands, placed too close to her wounds for comfort. She winced and grunted, but part of her felt a little proud that the first jotun had to call in reinforcements.

                Ada slowly raised her eyes to look at Loki, the fog of pain in her mind preventing her from making a decision on how she should feel about this situation. Her expressions rapidly cycled through anger, hurt, shock, sadness, and back again.

                Loki watched the turmoil showing on her face with cold indifference. “Take her to the throne room; keep her restrained,” he said, a slight pause the only indication that he still possessed emotions beyond his now stony countenance. He turned his back to her to face the silent and terrified feast attendees, assessing the situation he would face when Sif and the Warriors Three finally finished pushing their way through the guests to get to him. “I shall join you momentarily- I fear I must take care of some  _business_  first…”

                “Loki, what the FUCK?!” Ada shouted, trying to resist the pull of the jotuns and failing. “What- how  _dare_  you! How  _could_  you?” Tears sprang to her eyes and quickly overflowed onto her cheeks as the jotuns directed her to the same inconspicuous doorway that Jane had been lead through. “ _WHY?!_ ”

                Loki’s head twitched to the side slightly in response to her demands, and for a moment, she thought that he might actually face her. Instead, the last thing she saw before she was dragged through the door was Loki conjuring the Casket of Ancient Winters and firing it into the crowd.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Ada was marched through a short corridor into a massive hall, even more covered in gold then the room in which the feast was being held. At the far end of the hall was a massive stone and gold throne, standing atop a tall platform. As she and the guards approached, she could see flames dancing on the seat and arms of the throne; but in a few more steps, she realized it was the fire jotun Geðr, draped lazily across the stone seat, her legs and arms dangling off either side. Her sisters lounged similarly against the side of the throne and on the top step of the platform, absentmindedly drawing scorch marks onto the floor and the side of the stone itself.

                To Ada’s further surprise, about a dozen Valkyrie stood guard in the room as well. They watched Ada and her escort closely, but didn’t make any noise to alert the jotun sisters.

                Geðr tilted her head when she heard the sound of footsteps drawing closer, but made no move to sit up, even after she realized the guards had a prisoner. “What’ve you got there?” she asked nonchalantly, turning away again. “Another member of the royal family? Don’t recognize her.”

                “We’re not sure,” one of the guards said cautiously. “Loki only told us to bring her here. I don’t think she’s Asgardian, her flesh is extremely weak.”

                This caught Geðr’s attention. She swung her legs down and rested her elbows on her knees, peering at Ada through narrowed eyes. The corner of her mouth drew up into a terrifyingly sharp-toothed smirk. “Ah, I do know you! You are the friend of Thor’s mortal!” she crowed, standing up and stretching. She descended the steps with a bouncing gait as her sisters looked on curiously. “And here I thought you were Asgardian all this time! Tell me, how have you come to be in this realm?”

                Geðr slowly approached Ada as she spoke, which was worrying, despite her non-threatening words. Ada tensed and kept her mouth shut, stifling a sob from the pain of her burns and her emotional upheaval.

                “So unhappy!” Geðr said with false sympathy. “I would be too, if I were a Midgardian. Disgusting, weak creatures… when King Surt gains control of Yggdrasil, I believe he means to eradicate your race first!”

                An alarm went off in Ada’s head at the name of the king- he was present in the Ragnarok prophecy too. He was more than present, in fact: he was the one who was said to cause the burning of the Nine Realms. The situation seemed to be going downhill at a spectacular rate.

                “Ah, have I touched a nerve?” Geðr asked playfully, watching Ada’s face change in response to her words. “I wouldn’t worry too much. The mortals will hardly see the firestorm coming, so they will have no time to panic. Although, burning to death does take some time… let’s find out how long they’ll suffer!”

                She beckoned to her sisters, who stood and made their way to her side, wearing equally terrifying expressions. “Greip, Gjalp, would you like to start the burning of Midgard a little early?”

                “Why sister,” the tall jotun- Greip?- said, licking her lips with a pointed, bright orange tongue, “does your generosity know no bounds?”

                The third jotun sister made a shooing motion at Ada’s guards. “You may drop her, we’ll handle it from here.”

                Ada’s stomach did a flip-flop and she balled her fists, not sure how she could manage to get out of this extremely dangerous situation. If she had to die, she’d rather not do it by burning to death at the hands of a bunch of sadistic jotun sisters.

                “I-I’m sorry, Lady Gjalp, we were given orders by Loki to keep her restrained-“ one of the guards choked out, obviously concerned about upsetting her. Ada was momentarily relieved.

                “Loki’s  _directions_  mean nothing in the face of an order from your master!” Geðr snapped. “Drop the girl!”

                “If you so much as lift one finger from the mortal’s arm I shall freeze this entire room,” a cool, stern voice suddenly rang out through the largely silent hall. A Valkyrie hissed as Loki, still jotun blue, stepped through the same door that Ada had recently been forced through. He banged Gungnir on the ground to reinforce his threat. “In this realm, my word is law.”

                “And that is only thanks to us, little frost giant,” Geðr responded, unblinking.

                “And you are only here because I gave your king the secrets of our cloaking magic,” Loki said, purposefully making his way to Ada and the fire jotun sisters. “Although you managed to nearly ruin all my efforts with your Skuld impersonation on Midgard before our plans could be set into motion.”

                Ada’s mouth fell open. The attack that caused her to end up on Asgard had been part of his plan all along?!

                “I believe we would have been slightly more successful had you not exposed me to your brother!” Geðr snapped, finally shifting her gaze to Loki as he came to stand beside Ada’s guards. “Perhaps next time you elect to suddenly be a dutiful son of Asgard, you should inform me!”

                “Shut your beastly mouth, you vile creature!” Loki barked in response. “Only Surt himself may advise my actions!”

                “You mean give you orders,” Geðr corrected dryly. Ada thought she must have a death wish.

                Loki’s crimson eyes burned with rage. “Get out of my sight, norn witch. Do not return until the mortal is prepared and Thor is awake,” he said in a surprisingly level voice. Ada gritted her teeth at their mention but held her tongue, not wanting to get involved in their volatile dynamic.

                Geðr gave him a toothy grin and made an exaggerated bow, keeping her eyes on his grim face. “As you wish, princeling,” she said, her tone jarringly pleasant. She straightened and spun on her heel before Loki could react to her sarcasm, the flames licking her body flickering from the motion.

                Loki glared at her back until she and her sisters left the room, closing the door behind them. He slowly and purposefully walked around the guards to face Ada, who was still being held. He made a flippant waving motion with his hand and they immediately released her arms, much to her relief. While nothing else had caught fire since her initial capture, their overly warm hands left bright red imprints on her flesh below their previous burn marks.

                After all the revelations of the past hour, she was at a complete loss for what to say to him. She stared into his face blankly.

                “Come now,” he said with a soft chuckle. “You cannot honestly be that surprised, can you? I am your god of lies, after all.”

                “You’re not my  _anything_ ,” Ada croaked, taking a step back. “What are you doing?! What do you hope to gain from this? And what have you done with Jane and Thor?!”

                “What do I hope to gain?” Loki repeated incredulously. “Why, my rightful seat on the thrones of both Asgard and Jotunheim! Do you honestly think I had forgotten how my birthright was wrested from me by Odin and Thor?!”

                “Thor  _loves_  you!” Ada shot back. “So does your mother! And you show your love for them by having them knocked unconscious?!”

                “ _She is not my mother!_ ” Loki almost shrieked, causing Ada to jump back. Blue flashed across his eyes, sharply contrasting with their current shade of red. “These… these  _beings_  who claim to be my family have done nothing but impede me my entire life!” He wasn’t even looking at her anymore- his eyes were unfocussed as he apparently tried to burn a hole in the back wall with his scowl. “They are of no use to me!”

                Ada wondered how much he meant and how much he was trying to force himself to believe. Perhaps the Loki she knew was still in there after all…

                “Loki…” she started quietly, taking a shaky step toward him. At her movement, his raging eyes snapped right back to her face. “I don’t know what exactly you’re doing, but… you’re strong. You could regroup and push the fire jotuns out of Asgard.”

                “Do you really believe I could?” Loki asked sweetly. Far  _too_  sweetly… but Ada desperately wanted to think that he was listening to her. She nodded empathetically as he took a step towards her as well, leaving Gungnir magically standing under its own power behind him.

                Her breath caught in her throat as he placed his freezing hands directly on top of her burns, a false smile plastered across his lips.

                “OUCH! Shit, STOP!” Ada screamed, kicking her feet desperately to try to gain traction enough to escape Loki’s grip. “Loki, PLEASE!”

                A genuine look of shock briefly showed on his face as he let her go. She clutched her arms to her, panting in exhaustion from the pain; she squeezed her eyes closed trying to shut it out, a further groan escaping from between her tightly clenched teeth.

                “I only wished to ease the pain of your burns,” Loki’s cool voice said from what seemed like far away. “It seems I temporarily forgot about the fragility of the Midgardian form. And here I thought you would be thankful for my efforts.”

                Ada opened one eye to assess the situation and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Loki was no further away than he had been, her senses were just shutting down from the pain.

                “You’re supposed to run burns under cold water immediately after you get them,” Ada mumbled absentmindedly. Her anger suddenly focused her mind again and she caught Loki’s red eyes with a glare. “I could’ve used that about  _ten minutes ago_! Or, better yet, I could’ve used you not turning out to be a cruel,  _evil_ , lying BASTARD!” A choked sob followed her barbed words. She felt like she might throw up.

                “Calm yourself, pet,” Loki said evenly.

                “Don’t you DARE call me-“

                Loki cut her off. “It is unfortunate that a simple mortal such as yourself should become caught up in the business of we higher beings, but I suppose it was unavoidable in this instance.” He sighed, boredom showing obviously on his blue face. “I’m not sure what to do with you, really.”

                “ _Where’s Jane?_ ” Ada rasped. He seemed to know what to do with  _her_.

                “That is no concern of yours. Don’t you understand that your own life is at stake?” He arched an eyebrow.

                “ _Fuck you_ ,” Ada spat. “What are you “preparing” her for?” Honestly, she was fairly certain that whatever he had in store for Jane and Thor was probably fatal, but if she could maybe buy them some time…

                Loki smirked. “Do you honestly have no sense of the urgency of your current predicament? I could end your life with a flick of my wrist!”

                To illustrate, he performed that very motion in Ada’s direction, causing her to stumble back from fear. His palm flashed green- a strange color against his azure skin- and Ada’s arms began to tingle. She lifted them up, whipping her head to and fro, watching as her burns were slowly covered with healthy skin. She looked up to Loki, completely baffled by his action. The fire jotuns behind her exchanged a confused glance.

                Loki’s eyes darted from the jotuns back to Ada. “Can’t have you dying of shock before we are through with you, hm?” he chuckled. “Were you expecting some pity, perhaps?”

                “My god, do you only ever think of yourself?! I can’t believe I  _ever_ -“ Ada felt her tongue curl against the roof of her mouth into the first sound of an unexpected word. She sealed her lips tightly to prevent the escape of such a damning sentiment.

                Loki, ever observant, was unfortunately able to read her meaning without it being explicitly stated. His lips curved back into an almost manic smirk. “To think that I was actually successful in manipulating you to love me! What a stupid creature you are!”

                Ada forced a harsh laugh. “I could  _never_  love a man like you,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

                “My dear,” Loki said, placing a cool finger under Ada’s chin. “There  _are_  no men like me.”

                She didn’t  _mean_  to punch him, not really. However, somehow, in transit to slap his face, her fingers tucked themselves into her palm and her fist impacted his prominent cheekbone with as much force as she could muster. She pulled her hand back with a gasp- just from the brief contact with Loki’s frost giant skin, it felt like her knuckles had contracted a bad case of freezer burn.

                Loki barely even winced from her well-placed punch. In fact, he looked more disappointed than angry. “Guards,” he said with a sigh and a wave.

                The jotuns seized Ada’s now-healed arms. “You’re right, there are no men like you!” she shouted, struggling against the guards’ grip. “You’re no man- you’re just a  _jealous child_  throwing a fit!”

                Loki rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I believe we’ve heard enough out of you tonight,” he said flatly. He suddenly caught her gaze with his crimson one. “ _Sleep, Aðalrun_ ,”he almost growled, each sound falling from his lips heavily.

                Ada felt as if the wind was abruptly knocked from her lungs, though nothing had come into contact with her body. Her limbs began to feel tremendously heavy, and she hung her head from the effort of remaining on her feet.  _Verbal magic_ , she thought bitterly as her knees collapsed against her will. Everything was suddenly becoming very murky.

                A voice quietly chuckled, sparking her awareness for one more brief moment. Loki’s words from a few days ago echoed through her head- “ _The best you could hope to do with what little magic you possess would be to perhaps rebound a spell…_ ”

 _How do you rebound a spell?!_  she thought desperately, racking her foggy brain for ideas. With the last of her strength, she pulled her head up and caught Loki’s rather startled eyes. Eyes… that’s it.

                “ _Skipt auga með auga, skipt auga með auga, skipt auga með auga_ …” Ada repeated quietly in Proto Norse. An eye for an eye, an eye for an eye, an eye for an eye…*

                She thought she heard a strangled gasp as her impossibly heavy lids finally brought darkness to the world.

 

 

*the literal translation for this phrase is “exchange eye for eye” (I hope it is, anyway- I did the translation myself lol)

 **Author’s note:** I’M SO SORRY TO END THE CHAPTER LIKE THIS BUT THERE’S A LOT OF EXPOSITION IN THE NEXT CHAPTER I PROMISE I LOVE YOU ALL


	26. Chapter 26

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

                Ada sat up and blinked. She blinked again, unsure of what was going on; had she gone blind? All she could see around her was darkness. As she raised her hands to rub her eyes, she realized she could see _them_ at least. Where was she?

                She braced herself against the ground to stand… well, what she thought was the ground. That was pitch black too. But there had to be _something_ beneath her! Her head spun from disorientation as she got to her feet, her eyes unable to focus on anything in the dark for a frame of reference.

                Ada held her hands in front of her, turning them to and fro. Yes, she _could_ see them, though there was no light source. What kind of magic…?

                Oh. Oh yeah.

                “ _Shit_ ,” she cursed aloud, her voice creating a strange echo in the emptiness. “Loki…” she grumbled and nearly jumped out of her skin when a male voice groaned in response.

                She whirled around, searching for the source of the sound, to find Loki’s prone form highlighted in the darkness. She took a slow step away from him as he stirred and slowly sat up. Ada glimpsed his profile as he looked around in confusion; he had returned to his Aesir form, and, strangely, was dressed in his familiar green linen shirt and leather vest jacket rather than his dress uniform.

                He winced and placed his palm to his forehead. “What has she done…” he whispered, still unaware of Ada’s presence.

                She decided to change that. “You tell me,” she said authoritatively, putting more bravery into her voice than she really had.

                Loki’s head snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide. “ _Aðalrun_ …” Her name slipped through his teeth almost as a sob. He lept to his feet and advanced on her, his expression unreadable.

                “Woah woah _woah_!” Ada said, skipping backward and waving her hands in front of her. She didn’t know what kind of a reaction she was expecting really, but had she thought it through, she probably would’ve gone about announcing herself differently.

                He quickly closed the gap between them, walking with the determination of a madman. Ada stopped her retreat when she realized it was futile, and instead took a stance she vaguely remembered from her karate lessons in gradeschool. Loki stretched an arm out to her and she stepped forward, throwing all of her strength into planting an uppercut on his sharp jaw.

                His body arched up and away, landing with a thud several yards in the distance. Ada gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, pulling them away only moments later to examine them.

“I suppose that confirms _that_ hypothesis,” Loki said quietly and sourly, massaging his aching jaw with one hand.

                “ _What_ hypothesis?!” Ada demanded, looking down at her open palms. “What did you do to me?!”

                “What did _I_ do to _you_?” Loki asked incredulously. “You just punched me so hard I flew ten feet!”

                “And I’m fairly certain I couldn’t do that before!” she said, marching in his direction with resolve. “What did you fucking do to me?!”

                “What did _you_ do to _us_?!” he snapped back, getting to his feet. “What in the Nine Realms would cause you to rebound my spell?!”

                “Oh gee, I _wonder_ ,” Ada said with biting sarcasm. “What the hell kind of spell is this, anyway? Where are we?” She stopped a safe distance away from Loki, in order to be prepared if he came at her again.

                “It was a simple sleep spell _when I cast it_!” Loki threw up his arms in exasperation. “You must’ve corrupted it with your amateur effort at rebounding it; now my consciousness is trapped in here with yours!”

                “Your _consciousness_?” Ada repeated, narrowing her eyes. “What does _that_ mean?”

                “To put it simply, we’re in your head,” Loki said with a sigh. “Both of our bodies are currently asleep, but our consciousnesses are interacting within your mind, much like that dream you had. It seems you have a tendency towards mental projection.”

                “ _What_ dream?!” Ada hissed. She had a sinking feeling about this…

                Loki turned away. “Oh, I believe you know the one,” he said quietly.

                Ada flushed crimson, though she wasn’t sure if the color came from anger or embarrassment. Probably both.

                Before she could respond, he whirled to face her, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “Why have you done this? I _swore_ to protect you, and you claimed to trust me!” his voice cracked and he pressed his lips into a thin line before his words could betray any more emotion.

                Ada’s mouth hung open slightly. “I, uh… did you not just unleash a hostile invading force on Asgard and freeze a bunch of party guests, or am I just imagining things?” The corner of her mouth twitched at the absurdity of his words. “I kind of feel like we’re not on the same page here…”

                Loki huffed angrily and began to pace the dark floor. “It wasn’t supposed to _happen_ this way…” he muttered to himself. “All of my meticulous planning, ruined by a Midgardian…”

                Ada tracked him with her eyes as he moved back and forth, becoming more and more agitated. He suddenly turned on her, eyes blazing. “This is all _your_ fault! If you hadn’t planted that damned dream in my mind, I would’ve been able to dispose of you without a second thought! You’ve _compromised_ my emotions!”

                “SHUT UP!” Ada bellowed, catching both Loki and herself off guard with the power of her voice. She took a deep breath through her nose to calm her raging heart. “I didn’t _choose_ to come to Asgard, remember?! You’ve obviously been planning this whole thing since before we even met, and you elected to bring me on board against my will! Although I guess I’m ultimately happy about the whole thing, because now you’re stuck in my head and can’t do any more damage!”

                Loki groaned loudly. “I should’ve _never_ expected you to understand. The sleep spell was only temporary, it would’ve worn off once the danger had gone. Now the fire jotuns are free to ravage Asgard and the Nine Realms!”

                Ada crossed her arms. This was getting ridiculous. “Um, wasn’t that the point? Or am I still not _understanding_?” she said bitterly.

                “ _No that wasn’t the point_ , you- you-“ the intensity fell out of his voice before he could insult her. “You silly creature…” he said gently, facing away.

                Ada seethed at his tender tone; she wouldn’t be tricked again. But he was acting strangely, erratically- maybe there was some other deeper meaning to his actions. Not that it would be any kind of excuse, but she felt she should withhold judgment until she knew _exactly_ what his aims were. “Loki, I’m only going to ask this one more time: _what the hell is going on?_ ”

                He met her gaze for a brief moment, his expression conflicted and sad. His face quickly morphed into a look of blankness, similar almost to Drifa’s familiar deadpan, and he turned away. “I suppose I have no choice but to explain at this point…” he sighed and closed his eyes.

                “You are correct, this plan was set into motion long before Thor and I took you and Jane from Midgard,” Loki began softly. “It was, in fact, formulated in conjunction with my jotun father during my all too brief rule of Asgard.”

                Ada arched an eyebrow. “And when exactly did you rule Asgard?”

                Loki grunted impatiently. “That is a rather long story, but I imagine it is important to my explanation… I shall try to summarize. Before falling into an Odinsleep, Odin banished Thor to Midgard in order to atone for his violent actions against Jotunheim after I staged… a bit of an invasion during what was to be his coronation.”

                “That situation sounds awfully familiar,” Ada mumbled, glaring at him.

                Loki glared back with indignation. “It was only in jest! I had no inkling of my heritage then, no reason to hate what I believed was my home realm! That has all changed now.”

                “So you decided to do pretty much the same thing, but with fire jotuns?” Ada said, obviously unimpressed.

                “ _No_ , will you let me finish?!” Loki snapped. When he was certain Ada wasn’t going to interrupt anymore, he cleared his throat and continued. “When I ascended to the throne in Thor’s absence, I decided to pay Jotunheim a visit to discuss a… _political matter_.” Seeing Ada’s frustrated expression at his lack of specifics, he rolled his eyes. “I made a false agreement with Laufey that I would allow him into Asgard if he were to kill the sleeping Odin. However, as he lunged to end the Allfather’s life, I destroyed Laufey instead, both robbing Jotunheim of its leader and earning the trust of Asgard. Unfortunately, Thor elected that same moment to return from his dalliance on Midgard, and he revealed my machinations. In the ensuing struggle, I… _fell_ …” he trailed off, placing his hands behind him.

                “But that part of the story is irrelevant. While in Jotunheim negotiating with Laufey, I had become aware of a larger plot: he and Surt, Lord of Muspelheim, were conspiring to overthrow Asgard and burn the Nine Realms. Jotunheim would, of course, be spared in their deal; Laufey was only concerned about exacting his revenge on Asgard and regaining his Casket of Ancient Winters. I offered Laufey a better, more expedient deal with my promise of slipping him into the palace, but not before exploiting his contacts with Muspelheim.

                “I made Surt aware of my ultimate plan to destroy Laufey; he was very pleased with my treachery, as it made it possible for him to burn Jotunheim as well. I also _may_ have implied that, when Odin was dead and Thor was out of the way, I, as the new Allfather, would allow him impunity to do what he would to the other realms without consequence. Of course, I would never dream of allowing him to do such a thing; after all, I could never be content to rule just _one_ realm,” Loki chuckled darkly. “But so convinced was he of my desire for vengeance, that he readily agreed to cooperate.

                “My _episode_ on Midgard cast some doubt on our deal, but I was thankfully able to regain his trust. It was rather difficult maintaining communication with Muspelheim while confined to my quarters, but I had had the foresight to teach the fire jotuns some simple cloaking spells while Surt and I were negotiating our terms. My daily maid service was often comprised of disguised fire jotuns, with the residents of the palace none the wiser.”

                Ada took her time absorbing this explosion of information. She placed her hand on the bottom of her chin, deep in thought. “But wouldn’t Frigga have noticed all that magic? She said she could see the magical trail we left when we snuck out of the palace in disguise.”

                Loki’s eyes flicked away in what may have very well been embarrassment. “That was not my _best_ spell…” he grumbled. “The thought of meeting you after we shared that dream caused me to indulge rather heavily in mead before you arrived that night, and my abilities were quite… dulled.”

                “Ah, I wondered about that!” Ada found herself smiling at the memory, and quickly willed her face back to a stern glare. This was not the time for nostalgia. “So what about Jane? And Thor? You said you were _preparing_ them for something.”

                Ada could see Loki’s jaw muscles tense at their mention. “I do have plans for them, yes,” he said, pointedly avoiding eye contact. “What Geðr said that night on Midgard was partly true. I mean to use Thor’s affection for Jane as a weapon against him, though I have no intention of causing Ragnarok.”

                “Could’ve fooled me,” Ada said out of the corner of her mouth. Sensing that Loki was reluctant to go on, she raised her eyebrows at him, trying to signal that he should continue.

                Loki sighed heavily and turned his back to her. “I was setting the scene for Jane to be brutally killed in front of Thor, causing him to fly into a powerful berserker rage. In his mad state, he would destroy each and every fire jotun, including Surt, in order to avenge his love. Upon coming to his senses, he would be unable to live with his actions; he would pass the crown to me, and most likely go into self-inflicted exile for the rest of his days.”

                “My _god_ , Loki,” Ada said quietly, her eyes wide with horror. She hugged her arms to herself tightly, riding out the shiver that his explanation had sent running through her very core. “You… you _can’t_ -“

                “Oh, I very much _can_ ,” he said with a harsh and frightening grin… but worry and confusion quickly forced the aggression from his face.

                “But you _shouldn’t_!” Ada cried, taking a step toward him. “And you don’t have to! There’s still time to make things right… right?”

                “Of course. What we perceive as hours within the mind can be mere minutes in reality,” Loki said. “However, I am unsure that is what I want.”

                Ada made a face. “What _do_ you want?” she asked, genuinely curious.

                Loki laughed, although it sounded forced. “I want to _rule_ , to do what I was born to do!” He caught Ada’s gaze for the first time in what felt like forever. “And I want _you_.”

                “ _Really_ ,” Ada said dryly. “And what do you think would’ve happened when I found out about your role in this? Did you expect to apologize for killing my best friend, driving your brother insane, and doing god knows what to your parents and the people of Asgard, and have me say _oh Loki, it matters not, for my love for you is deeper than all the seas of the Nine Realms_?” She clasped her hands to her chest for emphasis.

                “I… had rather hoped so, yes,” Loki said, somewhat dejectedly. “Though when you say it, it _does_ sound quite farfetched. However, I never intended you to know the details of my involvement with the events that were to befall Jane and Thor.”

                “That’s _so_ much better!” Ada almost shouted, throwing an arm up and placing the other firmly on her hip. “And just how were you going to claim to me that you were the good guy in all of this?! You must not have a lot of faith in my observation skills.”

                Loki frowned and looked down. “That plan is in motion as well. My maids that _weren’t_ fire jotuns were both rather conspicuously sleeping with your dear great-great-grandfather, Bragi,” he sneered. “His magic was all over them every morning.”

                “That is a _lot_ more than I wanted to know, and also irrelevant?” Ada half-said, half-asked.

                “I had them deliver a message to him this morning,” Loki continued, ignoring her. “He is even more of a trusting fool than Thor, so he easily followed my warning of a coming threat. He was absent from the feast tonight, as I’m sure you noticed-“ she hadn’t, but she wasn’t about to say so, “-and is, as we speak most likely, in the process of freeing the einherjar, along with Sif and the Warriors Three, in order to combat the fire jotuns . His inability to keep silent about my message would plant the seeds of faith in peoples’ minds, while his testimony after the conflict would surely absolve me of any role in Jane’s death and Thor’s subsequent madness.”

                “Jeez, you sure have your finger in a lot of pies,” Ada said, not sure whether to be impressed or horrified. Loki made a confused face at her turn of phrase and she rolled her eyes. “Nevermind. How are we going to fix this?”

                “How indeed,” Loki said with a shrug. “Is it even worth fixing at this point? We’re both trapped in your head, with no hope of escape until the spell wears off-“

                Ada sighed. “Don’t be so dramatic, I’m sure you’ve already figured out some way to get around whatever magic is keeping us in here. And if this is my head, why is it so _dark_?” she looked around. “I mean, I’m not prideful or anything, but I thought my brain was full of more stuff than… well, nothing.”

                Loki smiled honestly at that, and Ada fought to keep any residual feelings for him from her face. “I am rather confused by that as well, pet,” Loki said, paying no attention to the fire that appeared in her eyes after he uttered the word. “I would imagine that you have sequestered us to only one part of your mind. Perhaps this is the one corner of it that isn’t filled with words and nonsense.” He chuckled, obviously feeling more himself… or what Ada thought was himself. She couldn’t be sure anymore, now that all his lies had come to light, and his casual tone was grating on her.

                “Don’t change the subject,” she growled, feeling slightly guilty that she was the one who led the conversation astray in the first place.

                “I have been a _bit_ busy, “ he huffed. “But yes, I can see the threads of magic keeping us here. I must simply untangle your rebounding magic from my spell and we should both wake up.” He suddenly winced in what almost seemed like sadness. “Though I believe at this point I would rather remain here.”

                “Yes, avoid the consequences of your actions, _really_ mature,” Ada said, crossing her arms again.

                “Well, what would _you_ suggest?” Loki retorted. “There is no way out of this situation in which I can guarantee our safety.”

                “You can try!” Ada insisted desperately. “When you made these plans, you were a different person… The Loki I _thought_ I knew may have been bitter about the injustices he’s had to endure, but he seemed like he was at least on the path to come to terms with his situation! I can’t imagine him willingly driving his brother crazy, even if they didn’t exactly get along.”

                Ada’s words hit Loki hard, but he remained indignant. “He’s _not_ my brother,” he said in a murderous tone, as if he were trying to convince himself of the truth in his words.

                “ _Yes he is_ ,” Ada insisted. “Maybe not by blood, but in every way that counts! Just like Frigga is your mother- she raised you, loved you, and _still_ loves you, despite your terrorizing of her home!”

                Loki was unable to come up with a response for that, and instead glared into the darkness behind her.

                “You know I’m right, Loki,” she said, hoping that she was getting through to him somehow. “You can fix this. And if you have all these schemes that you were going to use to exonerate yourself, can’t you just use them and pretend that it was your plan all along to eliminate the fire jotun threat? I mean, it’s not ideal to lie to… well, everyone, but I think your alternative is pretty bleak.”

                “I know it is within my power to prevent Jane’s death, kill Surt, and possibly even to seal the rest of the fire jotuns within Muspelheim indefinitely. I have built enough flexibility into my plans to allow for some variation, but I never expected to have to use it to _this_ extent…” Loki said thoughtfully, still glaring. “But how would it benefit me? I would still be without a throne.”

                _How would it benefit you?! You selfish piece of…_ Ada closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try to withhold her thoughts. At least this was progress. “Maybe one day, when the time is right, you’ll get what you want. Maybe when you don’t have to destroy realms and kill people to get it…”

                “Doubtful. The Norns seem to see fit to send only trouble my way, with no reprieve or reward,” he sighed deeply and his expression turned wistful.

                “You’re being dramatic again,” Ada grumbled. “You need to learn to appreciate what you’ve got, and try to hold onto it.”

                “I’m not entirely sure _what_ I have anymore…” he said quietly.

                “You have your family most importantly, your magic, your books…” Ada started, using her fingers to keep track of what she listed.

                “But do I have _you_?” he asked, fixing her with his emerald gaze. She could feel his eyes searching her and she thought her heart might leap out of her mouth.

                “I… don’t know,” she answered honestly, though it pained her to be so blunt. “This is kind of… a lot of information. And I’m not too thrilled that you were going to kill my best friend without a second thought… or let the fire jotuns burn earth… or any of it, really.”

                “Hm,” he said and looked away. Without another word on the matter, he launched into strategy. “When I break the spell, it will be important that you pretend to still be asleep. The fire jotuns are exceptionally stupid, I will be able to make some easy excuse for my unconsciousness.”

                Ada’s face immediately brightened. “You’ll fix it then?”

                “I’m going to try, but it is imperative that you follow what I say very carefully. The fact that I swore to protect you remains true, despite the fact that you seem to no longer believe it,” Loki said a bit tersely. “I will order your fire jotun guards to leave you in the library; with all the chaos in the rest of the palace, it should be deserted.

“When they deposit you there, _try_ to resist your carnal desire for books and go to the Hall of Yggdrasil to find Bragi,” Loki said with a smirk. “That is where the largest center of fighting will be; Surt wishes to corrupt Yggdrasil in order to gain passage to other realms. Which he would _not_ have been able to do had he burned the damn thing down as he was doing before I put out the flames, but I digress... if I had more respect for the intelligence of the fire jotuns, I would say that he set the tree alight on purpose to force me to use the Casket of Ancient Winters and drain my magic supply, so I could not use my power to double cross him.”

                “I think at that point you’d be about _quadruple_ -crossing him,” Ada said, unable to keep a small smile from her lips. “What do you mean, drain your magic supply? Does using the Casket use that much energy?”

                “More magical energy than most Asgardians could ever hope to possess in several lifetimes,” Loki said, his voice suddenly haggard. “For this reason, I should really thank you for rebounding my sleep spell; this reprieve, despite its brevity, will help replenish my reservoirs of magic.”

                “Glad I could help, I guess,” Ada chuckled, causing her to immediately mentally chastise herself. What happened to maintaining control of her emotions? She faced away from him to cut down on the probability of another escape of feelings. “How exactly am I supposed to find Bragi? I’ve only been out of my room twice the entire time I’ve been here, there’s no _way_ I can remember where Yggdrasil is kept.”

                Loki stroked his chin pensively and examined her through narrowed eyes. His gaze came to rest on the top of her head and he grinned. “When we awaken, I shall enchant your headband to enable you to view magic as I do. The spell will only be active for a half hour; any longer and I fear your mortal eyes may be permanently robbed of sight. You can use the enchantment to lead you to Bragi- his magical trail should be evident even from the library. He will protect you until I arrive.”

                “Great,” Ada sighed. She watched as Loki’s eyes suddenly seemed to unfocus, and he plucked at something in the air that was invisible to her.

                She started slightly as his gaze snapped back to her. “Are you ready then?” he asked, his voice low and grave, his hands poised in position to untangle the spells.

                “Wait, no!” Ada almost squealed. “I haven’t agreed to any of this!”

                Loki slowly raised an eyebrow. “Do you really have a choice?” Despite his threatening words, his hands stayed still, at least for the moment.

                “Yes I have a choice! This is _my_ head!” Ada said firmly. At her words, Loki’s eyes unfocused again and he appeared to be looking around at some unseen shift in whatever he was holding. To her surprise, he chuckled and dropped his arms to his side.

                “Indeed it is! You just managed to rearrange your magic to further tangle it around mine; nothing that can’t be dealt with, of course,” he grinned. Something occurred to him and he looked around. “You know, we may be in the part of your mind where your magic is kept. That would explain why it appears so empty.”

                “Magic is kept in-?” Ada stopped herself before she could inquire further. The physiological properties of magic were a topic to be discussed later, preferably with Jane on hand. If Jane was still alive later. Ada gulped. “How do I know I can trust you?” she asked quietly.

                “You don’t. Nor should you,” Loki said, clenching his jaw at the reality of the situation. “In fact, you should probably trust me less now that I’ve revealed the entirety of my plans to you. You are quite the liability, my dear. How do I know I can trust _you_?”

                Ada groaned and looked away. “That’s true. I guess we can just agree to mutually distrust each other for the time being,” she laughed nervously, suddenly painfully aware of her precarious position.

                “That will not be necessary,” Loki replied. “Because, against my better judgment and my instincts, I cannot find it within myself to believe you will betray me if I hold up my end of the plan.”

                “Well, I mean, you’re _right_ …” Ada trailed off. “But that doesn’t really solve my problem.”

                Loki set his lips into a determined line. “There is love within me that I thought I had lost long ago, before my fall from the bifrost. You have managed to find it when even I could not. Perhaps it has always been with me, though I was not aware of it; but you have forced me to feel it again, for better or worse. It is present when I consider my… my _mother_ and _brother_ …” the words were clumsy on his tongue, as if he were truly considering the weight behind each one. He was obviously much less sure about the second word, and almost sneered as it left his lips. Ada couldn’t withhold a smile at his awkward state.

                “… And _you_ ,” he finished more firmly. “You can trust in that.”

                Ada’s whole body suddenly felt tingly. It took her a moment to realize tears were flowing down her cheeks, although she wasn’t entirely sure which of the myriad of emotions rushing through her head had caused them. She wiped at her face angrily and self-consciously.

                Loki averted his gaze in order to pluck at the threads of magic, untangling their spells for the second time. He waited for Ada to regain her composure before he said anything.

                “Everything is prepared… _again_ ,” he smirked. “So… are you willing to trust me?”

                “No,” Ada answered quickly, leaving just enough silence after her response to make him doubt himself. She shouldn’t make things _too_ easy for him. “But… I do trust the other thing.” She allowed herself to enjoy the smallest of smiles as a spark of joy lit Loki’s eyes, only to be hastily subdued by his desire to appear unruffled.

                “Shall we, then?” he said in the silky voice that Ada had come to expect from him. She nodded her assent and braced herself, unsure of what was going to happen next.

                Loki pinched the thumb and forefinger of one hand together and made a sweeping motion with the other. The last thing Ada remembered before blacking out was the way his eyes twinkled green- not blue, not red, but Loki’s true color of rich viridian.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

                Ada’s body jerked as she regained consciousness; she barely remembered to keep her eyes shut and act like she was under Loki’s sleep spell. Her fire jotun guards still held her arms, suspending her limp body just above the ground.

                “Are you alright, prince?” one of the guards asked, directing his question ahead of them. Ada opened her eyes the tiniest crack, peering through her eyelashes to see what was going on. It was rather strange to see Loki, dressed in his royal finery and still jotun blue, hauling himself off the ground after their recent conversation in which he was decidedly more casual.

                Loki brushed himself off and snatched Gungnir from where it was standing next to him. “It seems the wounds I sustained in Muspelheim were not properly healed; casting that spell must have aggravated them. This would not have been an issue had your damned Lord Surt not set Yggdrasil on fire,” he spat. “Must I _always_ be the only intelligent one in my group of allies? I need to be more selective.”

                His boots clicked on the floor as he walked toward Ada. He pressed a freezing palm to the top of her head, and she tried not to wince. She suddenly felt a strange prickling on her scalp beneath her headband- as if it had suddenly been charged with static electricity. The sliver of ground she could see between her eyelashes began to take on an unnaturally shiny quality, which grew in intensity the longer Loki left his hand atop her head. Eventually, several thin strings of sparkling green fell over her eyes and Loki broke contact. He had actually come through on his promise to give her the magic-viewing enchantment. This was a good sign.

                “The mortal is indeed unconscious,” Loki said evenly. “Leave her in the library… and _try_ not to burn her again, I’d hate to waste any more magic on healing her. Assist your brethren in the Hall of Yggdrasil when your task is done.”

                “Yes, sir,” the fire jotuns mumbled without much conviction. They didn’t sound too pleased about taking orders from Loki. Ada’s stomach sank as she wondered whether or not they would actually take her to the library or just dump her somewhere along the way.

                She felt herself be turned as the fire jotuns began to half-carry, half drag her out of the throne room. It was a very awkward feeling; she was suddenly glad for her long skirt, as it prevented her feet and legs from getting scraped as they dragged along the floor.

                “Valkyries, to me!” Ada heard Loki say sternly, his voice now some distance away. The fluttering of wings and clatter of armor reminded her that the winged creatures were still in the room- she had forgotten their presence. They had the same look about them as the two that had accompanied Geðr on earth when she had tried to abduct Jane- Thor had mentioned then that they were under some kind of spell. She wondered what part they would play in Loki’s plans as she heard him begin to give them orders, the volume of his voice too low to be understood at the distance she had already been transported.

                Ada’s feet skipped over a wooden-sounding bump that must have been a doorframe and she felt the fire jotuns turn a corner, Loki’s voice quickly becoming inaudible.

                The jotun to her left gave a heavy sigh of relief. “I’m not sure if I prefer working with that little frost giant or Lady Geðr,” he grumbled. “I feel as if I’m taking my life into my hands just being in either one of their presences.”

                “You should be the last one to speak of the matter Kafli,” the jotun to the right said harshly. “ _You_ volunteered us for this stupid expedition! What do you think the other palace guards are doing now back on Muspelheim, hmmm? They’re not taking orders, I’ll tell you that much! Forni told me two days ago just how much food he planned to steal from the kitchens, and Serkr informed me that he had plans with at least _three_ of the queen’s handmaidens-“

                “Will you _shut up_ , Rugga?” the jotun on the left (Kafli, apparently) snapped. His grip tightened on Ada’s arm. “Don’t you remember the payment we were promised for volunteering? When Ragnarok comes, we will be among the first to stake a claim in the new world!”

                _I’m not sure these guys quite understand Ragnarok…_ Ada thought. She almost felt bad for them. Almost.

                “And,” Kafli continued, “we’ll get to personally assist Lord Surt’s destruction of the realms! I must admit, had I not feared for my life, I would’ve enjoyed seeing this creature burn at Geðr’s hands…”

                He squeezed Ada’s arm hard, his nails digging into her flesh. She bit her lip to keep from yelping in pain.

                “What are we even doing with her, anyway?” Rugga asked, hauling up one of Ada’s arms to get a better look at her. The awkward angle was even more uncomfortable - he was holding up almost the entire weight of her body by her shoulder. She prayed that her face was expressionless enough to pass for being unconscious.

                “After Lord Surt kills Loki, he won’t really be coming to look for her in the library. I say we leave her here,” Rugga said as he dropped her roughly back down. Her knees thudded on the stone floor, but the abrupt pain caused by the action paled in comparison to the sudden ache in her stomach when she heard Surt’s plan.

                Kafli nodded and unceremoniously released his hold on Ada. Rugga immediately followed suit, leaving her crumpled against the cool marble- a welcome feeling after the heat of the fire jotuns’ hands and bodies. She tried to keep her breathing shallow as she prayed they didn’t decide to kill her just for fun.

                She allowed herself a quiet sigh of relief as she heard their footsteps continuing down the hall away from her. Their voices receded around another corner and Ada slowly opened one eye to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing no trace of the fire jotuns, she opened both eyes and sat up, looking around.

                The air in the empty hall almost looked like it was full of multicolored fireflies, blinking and shining as they drifted about. Upon closer inspection, Ada could see that the fireflies were actually what seemed to be fibers and threads which materialized and disintegrated as she watched. Some threads were brighter than others; she recognized a few fragments of Loki’s green magic along with Frigga’s lighter shade. There was an unmistakable prevalence of long strings of a familiar white color, sparkling more energetically than their neighbors- Bragi.

                Ada got to her feet and swatted a few pieces of blue magic away from her face to better trace the pattern of the white threads. While their placement seemed random at first, at the right angle, she could see that there was a vague direction to their distribution. She began to cautiously follow their path.

                She paused for a moment, suddenly indecisive; should she go back and warn Loki of Surt’s plan to kill him? She half expected that he already knew of or at least suspected Surt’s betrayal, but wouldn’t it be better to make sure?

                But then, would her sudden reappearance in the throne room throw Loki’s loyalty into doubt, creating a situation that was just as dangerous? Ada bit her lip, realizing that there was no good decision to be made in this case. Loki _had_ to know what he was doing; if Surt’s double-cross was not that much of a surprise for Ada, surely Loki would be aware of its likelihood. It was hard to believe that he wouldn’t have worked the possibility into his complex web of plans and lies.

                Ada took a breath and continued along the path of dancing white threads, slowly following them to the corner the fire jotuns had rounded just minutes before. She pressed herself against the wall and peeked around to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing no one in the dark hall, she peeled herself from the cool stone and tried to catch the pattern of Bragi’s magic again.

                In a short time, the hall ahead of her split into three different directions, each filled with bits of multicolored magic. She picked her way through them with some difficulty, eventually tracing her path down the middle corridor.

                She noticed that the density of magic was steadily increasing as she made her way forward, but Bragi’s white threads also seemed to be growing thicker and stronger at the same time, making them stick out amongst the rainbow clutter. She lost their trail momentarily when she came to a wall-mounted torch, whose flame was created synthetically using some sort of enchantment- it was throwing off thin cords of orange magic, disrupting whatever threads and fragments came too close to it. She was relieved to find that the path resumed once she had made it some distance away.

                The hall had begun to gently curve to the right, and Ada began to feel more and more uncomfortable with her vulnerability the farther she walked. It was difficult to see what was in front of her with the curve of the corridor, and if she ran into some stray fire jotun, the only way out was the now distant doorway that she had been dragged through.

                She kept as close to the wall as she could while still tracking Bragi’s magic. It was becoming difficult _not_ to track it, actually; what used to be threads were now cords about the same diameter of those emitted by the torch’s flame. Ada thought they were beginning to resemble flying eels, twisting in the air to and fro, colliding with the smaller magic fragments around them. It was kind of weird.

                Eventually, the hall started to get a bit brighter, both in terms of light and the color of the stones that made up the walls. Ada’s stomach had grown tight from nervousness, unsure of what would happen when she actually found Bragi. Loki had said that he would be in the thick of the fighting- how could he provide her with any protection while he was helping to repel an invading force? The more she thought about it, the more she doubted the plan’s chance of success. Had she gone along with all of this too blindly? Did Loki really have her best interests in mind, or was he still only thinking of things in terms of how they would benefit him?

                She hadn’t been lying when she told him she trusted his love, though. Even if Loki’s plot and subsequent efforts to undo it were completely self-serving, Ada would still benefit in the long run from his feelings for her. She was immediately disgusted in herself for thinking about the issue in those terms, but there was truth in that train of thought. As much as she had loved Loki in the past-

                _Liked_. As much as she had _liked_ Loki in the past ( _best to not to use that other word_ , she thought), she was unsure if their relationship could come back from something like this… if they were even still alive at the end of it. She felt the rise of tears as she continued to debate with herself on the topic and she forced herself to just focus on finding her way to Bragi and staying alive, rather than getting depressed about matters of the heart.

                Ada’s train of thought was broken when she heard the sound of clattering armor and boots running on stone. She pressed herself to the wall, terrified, until the sound dissipated- it must have just been someone running by. She figured she must be getting close to the end of the corridor.

                Sure enough, after several more yards of sliding along the wall, she could see a sliver of doorway. She stuck her neck out to see around more of the curve, and sidled further towards it when she thought the coast was clear.

                The relatively dark hallway opened into a grand, golden room- very similar to the dozens of other grand, golden rooms Ada had been ushered through at various points during her stay in the palace. The abundance of magical light in the space was playing havoc with most of the magic fragments, though Bragi’s white cords seemed to be holding their own against the writhing coils of orange and yellow.

                Ada slipped through the door and darted behind a column, the train of her dress nearly upsetting a lone chair in the process. She bit her lip as the chair wobbled back to sit on all four of its legs and promptly hiked her skirt up over her knees, tying it in a tight knot to prevent it from dragging on the floor and causing any more problems.

                Conveniently, Bragi’s magic trail seemed to run parallel to a row of columns, which offered some cover for her as she followed it to a vaulted doorway. She cautiously made her way into the room beyond, and was surprised to find herself face to face with a vast array of enormous bookshelves, stretching almost comically high up to the tall ceiling. Ada couldn’t help but smile despite her high level of stress. What an amazing place! No wonder Loki had said-

                A distant explosion and a roar caused her to dart between two bookshelves in fear. She took a moment to catch her breath, then forced herself out into the open again to continue tracking the magic. She all but ran through the rest of the library, suddenly sensing a greater urgency.

                The doors at the other end of the library were shut, and Ada gently nudged one open, peaking through the crack that formed between them. She was immediately glad she hadn’t simply gone through them, as several fire jotuns ran by at full tilt, creating swirling vortices of magic in their wake.

She counted to a long ten before she ventured through the doors, just to make sure she would have no further company in the room. Looking around, she was alarmed to find herself in the first golden hall she had passed through. But that was impossible!

                She saved herself from a panic attack by noticing that the chair she had upset before was not where she had left it- in fact, it was not there at all. She hadn’t considered the idea that the golden halls were not just similar, but identical. How did _anyone_ ever find their way through the palace?

                She was forced to scamper across the large, open floor of the room to follow Bragi’s trail, and nearly tripped on a carpet in the process. She hoped the clatter her shoes produced from stumbling hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention as she sheltered behind a pillar.

                She saw something large move out of the corner of her eye, and she jumped back. An enormous black serpent had emerged from behind a tapestry and was slowly making its way straight towards the pillar she hid behind.

It was easily the length of the room, and probably as big around as Ada was tall. Its form was made even more intimidating by the yellow spikes that jutted from the back of its head, clicking against themselves while the beast continued to sliver forward. Any magic in front of it seemed to disintegrate as it touched the serpent’s body.

                Not knowing what else to do, Ada pressed herself back to the pillar, willing herself to be as flat as possible. She saw the flash of a red eye as the snake’s head passed through the doorway in front of her, slithering down the very hallway silently.

                It seemed to take ages for the entirety of the snake to exit the room, and Ada was unwilling to move until the very end of its tail was out the door. She very slowly edged around to the other side of the pillar and sank down to the floor, quivering. If she had somehow been in denial about being on an alien world, she sure wasn’t any more.

                She noted with dismay that the serpent had gone the exact way she had intended to go moments before- Bragi’s cords of magic had danced around it, somehow avoiding coming into contact with its body as it made its way smoothly out the door. She put her head in her hands. She didn’t particularly want to come face to face with that… _thing_ before she could find Bragi, but how else could she get to Yggdrasil?

                A soft clicking and a flutter of feathers caused Ada’s head to jerk up. _Valkyries?!_

                No, it was… a rooster?

                The bird strutted out from behind the same tapestry as the serpent. Its feathers were metallic gold- Ada thought it almost looked robotic. _What the hell kind of a weird zoo is hidden back there?_ she thought, watching it curiously as it shook itself and looked around, marching to the center of the room like it owned the place. Once it was satisfied with its position, it flapped its wings several times and took a deep breath to crow.

                The sound that emanated from the bird, however, was unlike anything that Ada had ever heard. It was indescribably loud and low, and reverberated in her chest even as she covered her ears. There was another pitch to its cry as well, similar to the powerful tone of a horn. But despite the disturbing call the rooster gave, what was worse was the painfully bright wave of magic that exploded from it the moment it had opened its beak. It seemed to be all colors at once, and it flashed so rapidly that it nearly made her sick. Ada squeezed her eyes shut and pulled herself into a ball at the base of the pillar.

                As suddenly as the cry had begun, it was over. She felt as if her whole body was vibrating from the shock of it as she slowly opened her eyes. The strange beast (there was no _way_ that was a rooster) was gently preening one wing, and it bobbed its head up when it sensed her movement. It looked her straight in the eye, though its stare was as blank as one would expect a bird’s to be, and cocked its head.

                Ada froze, concerned by the thing’s attention. She finally forced herself to nod at it, in what she hoped was a polite way.

                This seemed to be the correct thing to do, as the bird busied itself pecking at the carpet. Ada had a feeling about this thing’s presence, and she didn’t like it.

                As if it sensed Ada’s recognition, the bird looked up again. It flapped its wings once, twice, and burst into a million glittering fragments of magic that hurled themselves forcefully at every corner of the room. Ada held her arms up to shield herself from the blast, but only felt a few gentle tickles as the magic impacted her.

                She uncovered her face cautiously and found she was covered with lines of ash. She stood up and brushed herself off, looking around the room for any signs of the magical rooster.

                She found no bird, but a sea of dark runes plastered against the walls. She looked down at herself; the dust she had brushed off had, in fact, also been runes, a few of which were still left on her legs. There was a _reið_ \- the rune for R, a _gyfu_ \- the rune for G, an _ansuz_ \- an A…

                Ada raised her head slowly, her stomach sinking. The word _ragnarok_ was written thousands of times all around the room in ash. Loki may have had no intention of causing the end of the world, but things suddenly seemed to be out of his hands and into Surt’s.

                Ada dashed down the hall after what she now recognized as Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent, legendary slayer of the god Thor.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

                Ada skidded around a corner at speed, now following a new path: that of the _absence_ of magic caused by the serpent Jormungandr. Above a certain height, magical fragments still glittered, but at eye level, the air looked disturbingly barren. Only Bragi’s thick cords of white magic were venturing down into the void, giving Ada confirmation that she was going the right way. She almost wished she had time to admire the sight- running down the quiet corridor was like passing through a soft rainfall of glowing confetti.

                She passed quickly through yet another golden hall, only sparing a moment to be annoyed at the fact that it was _the fourth identical room like this in a row_. What was even the point of all of these gloriously empty rooms?

                The only reason Ada knew the trail wasn’t leading her in circles was the growing frequency and volume of explosions and clanging metal. She thought she could even hear some shouting now.

                She had come to somewhat of a concourse, full of startlingly large pillars of dark stone. Enormous windows lined the first half of the room, allowing the patchy moonlight into the space. Ada noted that it was no longer snowing, though the night sky was slightly cloudy; at least it wasn’t on fire.

                She ducked into a side door and ran smack into a large rope of Bragi’s magic- the largest she had seen yet. She sputtered in surprise for a moment as the rope recoiled from her impact, arching slowly into the air. She cautiously reached out a hand to touch it- she was rather shocked to find that it had what seemed to be material form, albeit a very light one. Sensing her touch, the rope began to snake itself across her hand and around her wrist. Ada fought a strong urge to shake it off- it was a bit too similar to an eel for her liking.

                Thankfully, the rope simply passed its length around her arm and drifted off lazily in no particular direction. She was simultaneously very glad she couldn’t always see magic and rather creeped out by the thought of how many magic ropes had wound around her in the past without her knowledge.

                Ada walked down the hallway ahead of her a bit more slowly, actively avoiding Bragi’s swirling magic. As the ropes dipped in and out of the emptiness left by Jormungandr, they dragged smaller magic fragments with them, and soon the serpent’s path was all but lost.

                As she continued, Bragi’s trail was also suddenly lost; she spun with a start to try to figure out where his magic had stopped. Thankfully, it had just taken a sharp curve toward a pair of closed doors.

                She pressed an ear to them and was disheartened to find that the sounds of conflict seemed to be coming from within whatever room was on the other side of the doorway.

                Ada gingerly tugged one door open, unsure how many einherjar or fire jotuns might tumble out. However, instead of the raging battle she was expecting, she got a tremendous elevated view of the galaxy-laden branches of Yggdrasil… and a lot of feathers.

                Two Valkyries stood with their backs to her, grey wings slightly extended. Bragi’s magic had apparently led Ada to some sort of observation deck, from which the Valkyries watched the clash of armies around the base of the world tree, magic spewing forth to the ceiling from the heat of the battle. A tower of white magic suddenly bloomed, its bright light visible even through the Valkyries’ wings. But the Valkyries weren’t just there to watch the battle and block Ada’s view, they were holding something- some _one_.

                Ada quietly stepped to the side to get a better look at the restrained figure. The broad profile and blond hair immediately gave away the captive’s identity: Thor, more enraged than Ada had ever seen anyone, twisted in their clawed grip. His hands were bound into fists with thick chains that glowed with Loki’s distinctive green magic, the combination of enchantment and confinement preventing him from calling Mjolnir. She desperately wanted to do something to help, but what could she possibly do against a pair of armed Valkyries? She had no weapons, no real magic of her own-

                But she did have other peoples’ magic. She snatched a stray length of Bragi’s magical rope from above her, crumpling it into a ball in her hands as she crept close behind one Valkyrie. The shape stuck, and she clenched the ball tight in one fist, seriously doubting the feasibility of her plan. She hoped she would still be able to feel the magic when she completed the even _less_ feasible aspect of her plan…

                Ada removed her headband with her free hand, stretching it wide with her fingers. Her eyes would take a while to adjust to the lack of bright magic illuminating her surroundings, but all she needed to see at the moment was the Valkyrie’s head in front of her. She slowly raised her arm until it was positioned above the Valkyrie- not an easy task, as the thing was easily taller than Loki- and released the headband, snapping it behind the Valkyrie’s ears.

                The creature let out a desperate screech at the shock of its vision suddenly being filled by what was probably painfully bright magic. It lost its grip on Thor, pawing at its head frantically, spinning to the far edge of the viewing platform.

                Ada darted through the gap it left, the feeling of the magic ball in her hand encouraging her despite the fact that she could no longer see it. Before Thor knew what was going on, Ada had seized part of the chain that was wrapped around his hands and slammed the invisible ball of magic into it. The chain shattered in her hand, much to her delight.

                Her jubilation didn’t even last a second; the feeling was swiftly replaced by fear as she caught sight of a clawed hand coming at her face. Before she could shield herself, however, she was draped in Thor’s crimson cape, unable to see her surroundings any longer. It was apparently an accidental action, as Thor quickly swept it off of her, revealing the prone figure of his Valkyrie captor. _Wow, he’s good_ , Ada thought. _Maybe I should stick with him instead of finding Bragi_.

                Over the sound of the battle below, Ada thought she could hear a distant and strangely metallic whine, which was rapidly growing louder. She spun to face the door just as Mjolnir crashed through the wood into Thor’s outstretched hand. It did not stay there for long, however; the other Valkyrie, who had freed itself of the enchanted headband and was on the attack, suddenly had a face full of hammer.

                The immediate threat gone, Thor cast his gaze to Ada, who was searching the ground for her headband. “You have my gratitude, Aðalrun,” he said gruffly, obviously more concerned about the battle raging below. “However, if you will excuse me-“

                “No, wait!” Ada said, abandoning her search and jumping to her feet. “You have to find Jane! She’s in danger, they took her after they knocked you out-“

                “Where?!” Thor yelled. He tried to compose himself when he saw the look of fear his demand brought to Ada’s face. “What in the Nine Realms is going on, do you know?! Where is my brother?”

                She held her hands up defensively. “Don’t ask me, I just woke up!” Well, that wasn’t a _complete_ lie. She coughed. “When I last saw him, he told me to find Bragi, and that the fire jotuns were planning to kill Jane, like Geðr said when she first attacked us.” Not lies, just… omissions of details.

                Thor growled and looked away to face the fight, taking a wide stance. “I can take you to Bragi, though I am unsure what good it will do for either of you. He is rather busy at the moment.” He gestured offhandedly to the unconscious Valkeryies. “You may want to arm yourself.”

                “I, er…” Ada knelt down cautiously next to one. “Do you think they have any daggers? Or long knives? Their swords are a bit heavy for me…” she trailed off, thinking of the floundering (but ultimately successful) defense she had given last time she had handled a Valkyrie blade.

                Shockingly, this drew a chuckle from Thor. “You truly are my brother’s woman!” His warm smile seemed out of place amongst the clashing metal and the shouts of soldiers. “Check their boots, they tend to keep their _cutlery_ there.”

                “I’m not your brother’s _anything_ ,” Ada grumbled, drawing a knife from its hiding place. She checked to make sure Thor hadn’t heard her remark- she didn’t want to give him any hint of the fact that all was not as straightforward as she was making it out to be. Luckily, Thor’s attention had been captured by a particularly large commotion below.

A towering, flaming figure was now present alongside the already tall fire jotuns. Unlike the others, he sported a pair of curved, twisting black horns, both capped with gold. He let out a battle roar that sounded like a horrible combination of a grizzly bear and a furnace as he swung a great flaming sword, mowing down dozens of einherjar at once.

                “Surt,” Thor said quietly through clenched teeth. “Come, Aðalrun,” he commanded, extending one hand and spinning Mjolnir increasingly quickly in the other, “The situation is even more grim than I anticipated.”

                _You have no idea_ , Ada thought as she stood and made her way quickly to Thor’s outstretched hand. She tucked her knife into her metal belt and held onto Thor’s shoulder, casting one more glance behind her at the fallen Valkyries. Her face paled as she saw a soot red rooster struggle out from beneath one of their wings. “Oh shit…” she gasped, pushing away.

                “ _Aðalrun_!” Thor shouted impatiently as she broke from his grasp.

                “Just… a second…” Ada choked out, creeping up to the bird. There were three roosters in the Ragnarok prophecy, maybe if she could prevent one from crowing-

                She closed her hands around it, holding its wings to its sides. It stared up at her, shocked, and made a quiet squawk as it began to struggle in her grip. She picked it up, its legs kicking in the air wildly, and tucked it under her arm like a football, pinching its beak shut with two fingers. She gave it a pleading look as she returned to Thor’s side. It blinked several times in response; Ada was unsure if that was an acknowledgement or not.

                Thor raised an eyebrow at the bird before grabbing Ada, flinging them into the air without any further interruption. Despite Thor’s strength, Ada instinctively removed her fingers from the rooster’s beak to cling to his arm for more stability as they soared over the battle. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting an explosive crow like the one that had emanated from the golden rooster, but the animal remained silent in her grasp. She was relieved for a moment. And allowed herself to take in the bird’s-eye view of Yggdrasil Thor’s flight path was giving her.

                “Bragi!” Thor boomed suddenly. Ada looked around and found that they were approaching the familiar god, who was surrounded by enemies, at a high rate of speed. “I believe I have something of yours!”

                Bragi whacked the fire jotun he was currently tussling with on the back of the neck with the hilt of his sword, then spun around and grinned at Thor.

                Disarmed by Bragi’s fatherly smile for only a millisecond, Ada immediately became incensed at Thor’s choice of words. “Goddamnit, what is it with you Asgardians?! I’m not your anythiiiiiiiNG OH GOD!” Her rant was cut short by Thor releasing her in midair, causing her to let go of the rooster and flail wildly.

                Ada flailed right into Bragi’s arms, landing more gently than she thought she would as Thor flew off in a direction unknown. He set her down and caught the rooster deftly as well, smiling as he handed it to her. In the same motion, he spun in a broad circle, blowing several attackers back with the force of his magic. As a final flourish, he continued the spin until he faced her again, sweeping one of her hands into his and kissing it.

                Ada stared at him in pure shock, her amazement effectively tuning out the violence that was going on around them. The rooster burrowed back under her arm just in time for Bragi to tug Ada out of the way of a sword swing.

                “I believe I know you, young one, or perhaps your mother,” Bragi said in a rich, warm voice. “However, I doubt that you know me! I am-“

                “Bragi, god of poetry, my several-times-great-grandfather,” Ada cut him off. “Loki told me to find you.”

                “Ah, that wily trickster!” Bragi said with a laugh, apparently completely at ease despite the chaos around them. “He sends me my kin in the midst of battle! What must he be up to now?”

                Ada jumped as an einherjar fell next to her, adjusting her grip on the rooster. “He just said that you’d protect me,” she said uncertainly. “But I’m not sure you’re really in a position to-“

                “Of course that is what he wants my dear, the question was rhetorical!” Bragi chuckled, beginning to guide her forward, all the while dancing about deflecting attacks with his sword. “I can see his magic on you. It is well known that he will add an extra element to a situation just to see how it causes others to react; he believes he is much more deceptive than he actually is. But in this case, I am more than equipped to protect one of my own blood!” As if to demonstrate, he swept Ada up with one arm, tossing her into the air as he cleared a group of fire jotuns out of the way with a magic blast.

                She squeaked as she landed back in the crook of his arm, and he set her down again, placing his hand behind her to continue to guide her forward. She was shaking from all the recent events, though whether it was from fear or excitement (or both) she wasn’t sure. “Where are we going?” she shouted over the clang of metal on metal and a variety of explosions.

                “Yggdrasil!” Bragi said cheerfully. Oddly, he didn’t seem to need to raise his voice to be heard- _must be magic_ , Ada thought. She was suddenly glad she no longer had her headband; this conversation might’ve been a bit awkward had she been squinting at him the entire time, trying not to be blinded by his exuberant power. But wait, _Yggdrasil_?

                “Isn’t Surt trying to burn that down?” Ada asked incredulously, checking the status of the rooster in her arms. Its head bobbed along in time with her steps.

                “He is, indeed, _trying_ ,” Bragi laughed. _Does nothing phase him?!_ Ada wondered with an annoyed glare. She was beginning to slightly understand Loki’s feelings about him. Bragi went on, ignoring her increasingly grumpy face. “He will never succeed, given the amount of thought Loki has put into his defense plan- thanks to the efforts of the einherjar, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three, we are driving the enemy back easily! And now that Thor has joined the fray, the fire jotuns haven’t a hope of triumph! And, as if all of these glorious fighters doing battle together weren’t enough to inspire volumes of wondrous poetry, there is one more element that Loki apparently failed to account for-“ He placed a hand to his ear expectantly.

                A horn sounded loudly somewhere in the room, its tone amplifying itself by resonating with the metal armor of the einerjar. “Heimdall!” Bragi exclaimed. “The ballads I shall write of this day will have no equal!”

                “Oh god, Heimdall’s horn…” Ada said with dread. Events were following the Ragnarok story she was familiar with almost word for word, and she didn’t like it. She felt the rooster swell under her arm and she swiftly clamped its beak shut again, much to the bird’s chagrin. “Please, just wait a bit longer…” she whispered to it.

                “We have nearly reached the tree, my sweet daughter, worry not!” Bragi almost sang, gracefully felling a fire jotun with a swish of his sword.

                “That’s not what I’m worried about!” Ada shouted over another explosion.

                “Ah, see! We have arrived already!” Bragi said triumphantly.

                The area before them was unexpectedly clear of both einherjar and fire jotuns, and seemed to lie just beyond a shimmering, translucent curtain. After the border created by the curtain, the ground bubbled with the roots of Yggdrasil, creating a labyrinthine path to the great tree’s trunk itself.

                “Go on through, little one, no harm shall befall you beneath these sacred branches,” Bragi said warmly, sensing Ada’s hesitance to pass through the sparkling barrier.

                Ada turned to him with fear in her eyes, just as a fire jotun appeared behind him, sword raised to strike. “ _Dad_!” she screamed before she could stop herself- the likeness was too much for her to bear.

                Bragi cocked his head curiously, his bushy beard shaking from the gesture. Almost as an afterthought, he thrust his sword behind him, impaling his assailant. “I thought you said we were further generationally removed than that? Tell me, who is your mother? On second thought-“ he smoothly pulled his sword from the fire jotun and stuck it in the ground, placing a hand on Ada’s back to give her a final push under the tree. He followed her in. “Let us discuss this in a more peaceful setting.”

                Ada raised an eyebrow so high she thought it might’ve disappeared into her hairline. “More peaceful…? Don’t you have _stuff_ to do?!”

                “War is no place for poets,” he said, gazing into the distance wistfully. “My comrades seem to have the situation under control.”

                Ada slowly set her rooster down, making eye contact with it as she released its beak. She pressed a finger to her lips, and the bird stared back blankly. As its feet touched the ground, it began to peck at the roots of the tree contentedly.

Ada straightened, took a deep breath, and whirled on Bragi, her eyes full of rage. “People are DYING and you want to talk about your one night stand with my great-great-grandmother?! Who the hell are you?!”

                Bragi suddenly grinned and snapped his fingers. “Brynja! Oh my, she was lovely! You are very like her you know, she was quite a little spark.”

                Ada was momentarily shocked into silence. “Yes, she…” A sudden explosion brought her back to reality, and she frowned, advancing on Bragi. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, facing him towards the battle and pushing him out through Yggdrasil’s magical barrier. “Fight now, geneology later!” she shouted.

                Bragi laughed loudly and retrieved his sword. “If I must!” he said with a grin, diving back into the melee.

                As his form disappeared in the crush of fighting bodies, Ada took several steps back and sat down heavily on a root. She glanced wearily at the rooster, still pecking away, and sighed. She watched it for a while, trying to not worry herself sick over Jane’s whereabouts, Loki’s intentions, and the fate of the universe.

                All of a sudden, the rooster’s head jerked up to stare straight ahead. Ada followed its gaze to see the grand figure of Heimdall standing just beyond Yggdrasil’s border. A small smile came to her lips as she rose to greet him.

                “Where is the traitor, _girl_?!” Heimdall boomed, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. He pointed his sword at her to further emphasize his threatening intentions, despite the fact he probably knew that Yggdrasil would drive away any weapons that came too close to it- a fact that _didn’t_ seem to apply to the knife Ada suddenly remembered was tucked into her belt. But she had more pressing matters to worry about.

                She shook her head wildly. “No, he’s not a traitor! Well, I mean… He has a plan to fix this, to stop Ragnarok!”

                Heimdall gave a harsh laugh. “Ragnarok will not be caused this day! The elements are not in place-“

                Ada scooped up the red rooster and held him aloft. The bird gave Heimdall a look that was decidedly un-bird-like- it was very similar to a tired scowl.

                Recognition and dread showed in Heimdall’s eyes. “It isn’t possible… That madman has brought the end upon us!”

                “Not yet!” Ada gasped desperately. “He’s going to fix it, he told me-“

                “The only way to fix this is through his death!” Heimdall cut her off, raising his sword above his head. It began to glow.

                “No, that’ll make it _worse_ \- have you even read the damn prophecy?!” Ada shouted, setting the rooster back down. “You guys kill each other, and-“

                “Do you threaten my woman, guardian?” a silky voice asked from behind Heimdall. He spun, sword at the ready, and was faced with with three Lokis, still in their jotun form and each holding a Gungnir.

                “I will not fall prey to your manipulations this time, usurper!” Heimdall barked, swinging his gleaming sword through all three figures. They faded like smoke as the blade passed through them.

                “Ah, very clever, you’ve enchanted your portal sword!” Loki chuckled. His voice seemed to come from nowhere in particular; Heimdall and Ada both looked around desperately, trying to locate its source.

                An inconspicuous einerjar suddenly grew several inches and turned blue, revealing the true Loki. He released Gungnir and waved his hands to conjure the Casket of Ancient winters.

                “Too slow!” Heimdall cried, stabbing the only just-formed weapon. To Loki’s dismay, the Casket seemed to be absorbed into Heimdall’s blade. With another swipe, he absorbed Gungnir as well.

                “Portal sword indeed!” Loki laughed bitterly, narrowly escaping the continued thrust of the blade. “I suppose I’ll have to do this the old fashioned way…”

                “STOP!” Ada shrieked. To her surprise, Loki and Heimdall both froze. She had no time to think about why. “Loki, I thought you would fix this! If you kill each other-“

                “I _am_ fixing this,” Loki growled, drawing a dagger. Whatever spell Ada had accidentally cast to immobilize him and Heimdall had already worn off. “Heimdall’s testimony against me would take precedence over anyone else’s! And here I thought he would simply remain in his observatory, preoccupied with the battalion of fire jotuns Geðr sent his way…” He lunged for Heimdall, whose counterattack only barely missed Loki’s chest.

                A piercing female scream abruptly directed everyone’s attention upward. On a viewing platform just like the one that Ada had stumbled upon, Geðr was holding a burning knife to Jane’s throat. Jane cried out again in pain as Thor alighted on the railing of the balcony, roaring in rage.

                Loki took this distraction as an opportunity to have another go at Heimdall. Heimdall was unexpectedly prepared for his underhanded attack- he cut a gash into Loki’s arm with his sword, and swung it about to aim at the center of Loki’s chest.

                Loki spun out of the way of the strike, a frightening grin plastered on his face. He flicked the dagger at Heimdall. The guardian was forced to bend to dodge the projectile, and Loki, drawing a second blade, was quickly at his throat.

                However, Heimdall’s sword was just as quickly at Loki’s stomach.

                “ _LOKI_!” Ada cried, reaching out. In her peripheral vision, she saw the red rooster puff up.

                The deafening sound of the resulting crow caused Ada’s vision to blur; she was forced to crouch down to the ground to cover her ears. When the sound subsided, she lept to her feet, only to find that nothing had changed... Neither man had made the killing strike.

                Only when the ringing in her ears subsided did she realize the whole room was deathly quiet- the dancing flames of the fire jotuns were still, and far above the battle, Thor was frozen in mid-leap for Jane.

                Ada turned to face the red rooster in confusion, just in time for it to shatter into a million glowing fragments as its golden brother had done. However, instead of plastering themselves upon any surface they could find, the fragments swirled around once, twice, and gathered themselves into a stream, curving back to the roots of Yggdrasil. The fragments began to take on a form, that of a person, a _woman_ -

                Skuld blinked several times as her golden eyes took shape in her face. “Aðalrun Paulsen, Bragisdottir of Midgard, we have much to discuss,” she said smoothly.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

“Please remove your weapon and hand it to me,” Skuld said evenly, extending her hand. “You may soon desire to use it, and that urge will cause Yggdrasil to defend itself.”

                Ada looked at her in wonder and slipped the knife from her belt, surrendering it without a second thought. “S-sorry,” she whispered. “I forgot I had it.”

                “Hm,” Skuld said, turning the blade over in her hand before dropping it to the ground unceremoniously. “Not only did you not wish to use this knife, you didn’t know how. Small wonder Yggdrasil allowed you to keep it.” She turned and walked to the tree’s trunk, placing both of her hands on the bark… and _into_ it. When she pulled her hands away, she was holding the shield and spear that Geðr had carried when she was impersonating the Norn. When she faced Ada again, she looked more like an imposing work of art than a living, breathing thing.

                When she caught sight of Ada’s jaw on the floor, Skuld gave a surprisingly goofy grin. “I do apologize for all this pomp and circumstance,” she said lightly, approaching Ada with a graceful step. “Protocol, you know.”

                A female voice giggled behind Skuld and Ada craned her neck to see who had joined them. Another woman, dressed in a similar white robe to Skuld’s, lounged on the roots by the tree trunk; she had apparently simply materialized there, as nothing else in the room was moving. Her shining golden hair, the same shade as the feathers of the first rooster Ada had encountered that night, hung free and long over her shoulders, in contrast with Skuld’s sharp chestnut bun. “You are always so uptight, sister,” she said, her voice as melodic as the stroke of a harp.

                “Aðalrun, Verðandi,” Skuld said by way of introduction. She didn’t turn to face her sister, but closed her eyes and smiled knowingly. Verðandi raised a delicate hand to Ada in greeting and remained in her relaxed pose. Ada uncertainly waved back.

                “Now, back to business,” Skuld said cooly, opening her eyes, the smile falling from her face. “You could’ve easily killed me when I was a rooster in order to prevent me from crowing. Why didn’t you?”

                “W-why…?” Ada stuttered, taken aback by the question. She cocked her head. “Can you even _be_ killed?”

                Skuld’s expression didn’t change. “That is rather beside the point. I was an ordinary bird; you could’ve snapped my neck, thrown me between fighting soldiers, “accidentally” impaled me upon Bragi’s sword-“

                “ _Okay_ , I get it,” Ada held up her hands. “I… I don’t know? Why would I? You seemed like a nice enough rooster, despite the fact you seemed pretty interested in ending the world… besides, I’m pretty sure you would’ve found a way to crow whatever happened… Ragnarok seems pretty inevitable now.”

                “Oh, I do love it when we have a Bragisdottir, don’t you, Skuld?” Verðandi said in her musical voice, peering around her sister to smile at Ada. “It makes things so much more interesting.”

                Ada made a confused sound and looked from Verðandi’s pleasant face to Skuld’s stern countenance. To her surprise, Skuld’s expression relaxed and she resumed her goofy grin. “Indeed, sister,” she chuckled. “Although I do believe Urd would have a few choice words to say about Bragi himself.”

                An emphatic “ _BOK_!” rang out from somewhere near Ada’s feet and she jumped. A pitch black rooster was nestled in a knot of roots- had it been here the entire time? Her confusion about the origin of the bird was quickly overwhelmed by the feeling of fear she got when she realized this was the third and final rooster of the Ragnarok prophecy.

                “Oh Urd, you’ve scared the poor girl!” Verðandi scolded. She tutted and shook her head at the bird, who fluffed its feathers with indignation.

Ada clenched her hands into fists at her sides, tensing for the Urd-rooster’s crow. The rooster simply blinked at her, apparently unimpressed.

                “Do not fear Urd, dear Aðalrun,” Skuld said sweetly. “It is not yet time for her to make the final call. She simply has some _opinions_ about Bragi’s unintentional meddling in the flow of realities.”

                “He’s _that_ powerful?” Ada asked, relaxing slightly. “Loki said he had untapped potential, but I had no idea…”

                “Well, yes and no. The entity that is Bragi has always been… _problematic_ , to say the least,” Skuld sighed. “It does vary from universe to universe, but more often than not an absurd amount of power somehow crystalizes into his form and creates just enough unpredictability to be an annoyance.”

                “ _What_?” Ada asked, blinking slowly. She understood so little of that statement that she wasn’t sure which part of it she was asking about.

                Skuld chuckled. “You know Ragnarok don’t you, my well-read little Midgardian?” Ada nodded and she smiled. “Then you are aware it is not an _end_ so much as a- what do you call it on Midgard? You have such a clever phrase for this concept… ah, a _hard reset_.”

                Ada grinned at the familiar expression. _Jane was spot-on with the Yggdrasil-computer comparison_ , she thought.

                Skuld continued. “This is not the first Ragnarok, not even close; Verðandi, how many times do you think we’ve preformed Ragnarok? A few hundred?” she called over her shoulder.

                Verðandi shrugged. “That sounds fairly accurate.”

                Skuld turned back to Ada, whose eyebrows had crept very high up her forehead. “After every hard reset, everything begins anew; a different Thor, a different Frigga, a different Bragi, and so on… however, sometimes entities get lost in the shuffle. Certain individuals never come to exist- Sometimes there is no Sif, or no Thor, or no Odin… that’s always interesting,” she mumbled to herself. “An example relevant to you at the moment is Sigyn. She existed in this universe’s previous iteration, but was left out of this one. Whispers of her made their way into Midgardian lore, along with many other tales of the Asgardians which are not true in this instance.”

                “That explains _so much_ ,” Ada said emphatically. She flicked her eyes up to meet Skuld’s. “So I don’t always exist? Is that what Verðandi meant with her Bragisdottir comment?”

                “Indeed,” Skuld nodded sagely. “There have been other “yous” in the past, although they all take on unique forms and interact with reality differently, compounding certain issues and resolving others. You have become much more involved with destiny shaping events than any of your predecessors have. While several Bragisdottirs have had the dubious honor of being the _volva_ to deliver the Ragnarok prophecy itself to Odin, you have the opportunity to stop Ragnarok from occurring- at least for now.”

                “ _Me?!_ ” Ada guffawed. “What the hell could I possibly do to stop Ragnarok?” She suddenly gasped and looked quickly from Skuld to the Urd-rooster at her feet. “Do… do you want me to kill Urd?” she asked in a small voice.

                The Urd-rooster made a variety of squawking sounds, hopping and flapping away from Ada in a hurry. Skuld and Verðandi laughed. “My, no,” Skuld finally got out between giggles. She cleared her throat to try and recover her serious tone as she lightly stepped over the roots of Yggdrasil to come to Ada’s side. “Let me show you something.”

                She raised her spear, pointing the tip at the viewing platform where Thor was frozen in his dive to free Jane. “When Geðr kills Jane, it will be as Loki planned- Thor will launch into a berserker rage. However, this rage will be in dangerously close proximity to Yggdrasil. Jormungandr, whose slumber was disturbed by the fire jotuns’ removal of Yggdrasil and its subsequent return to Asgard, will be called upon to defend the tree. You know what happens next,” she said gravely.

                Skuld twirled the spear in her hand gracefully, now pointing directly above them with the base of the weapon. Ada’s eyes followed its direction up into the canopy of Yggdrasil, and she jumped back as she caught sight of what was apparently a falling branch.

                Skuld chuckled as the branch stopped just at eye-level- it was, in fact, still connected to the tree; Yggdrasil had apparently lowered it at Skuld’s command. Unlike the trunk of the tree, the branch didn’t seem to be made of anything remotely tree-like. Ada thought it looked more similar to the magic she had seen- sort of a bright, pulsing energy. However, unlike normal magic, the energy of the branch seemed to cycle through every color at once. Clouds of crimson and gold swirled across shades of dark navy blue and purple, mixing together yet remaining separate. Ada was mystified.

                Skuld flipped her spear again and wedged its base into a tangle of roots. She began to trace her finger along the branch, following its path until it split into a series of smaller boughs, and further into a set of leafy twigs. She tilted one twig up and examined it thoughtfully before turning to Ada.

                “Contained within this branch are the lives of everyone you have ever known and everyone you will know,” Skuld said. She flexed a small network of twigs gently with one finger. “You, Jane, Thor, Loki, and others are all located here. Now look closely…”

                She traced a finger to the end of one twig, where two delicate leaves bloomed from a single bud- one a clear shade of cerulean, the other an energetic russet red. Skuld cradled them gently in her hand. “These are the lives of Jane and Thor, intertwined and inseparable. If this leaf were to fall-“ she covered the blue leaf with her finger, “-it would cause the other to become unhealthy, starting a chain reaction that would trigger a sharp decline in the overall health of Yggdrasil, which would ultimately cause Ragnarok.”

                Ada cupped her chin with her hand and nodded. “I see,” she said carefully. “So if I somehow save Jane, I stop Ragnarok? How-?”

                “I am not yet finished,” Skuld cut her off. She lightly followed a narrow vein of glowing green that ran from beneath the red leaf to another set of leaves. These two had separate stems, but originated from the same place in the magical wood. One was magenta and the other was bright viridian- the color of Loki’s eyes.

                The vein grew in size between the two leaves, spiraling up their stems, and every now and again a swirl of green would pass across the magenta leaf. When this happened, a swirl of magenta passed across the dark green leaf as well.

“Are these… Loki and I?” Ada asked quietly. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached out to touch the leaves.

                Skuld stopped her hand gently but firmly and nodded. “Yes, these are your lives, though I would advise against touching them. Your body is not equipped to come into contact with the fabric of reality contained within this branch; I am actually not sure what would happen to you if you _did_ touch it.”

                “Best not to find out, I think,” Verðandi called from behind them. Ada wholeheartedly agreed.

                Skuld ignored her. “If I were to pluck one of these leaves or break their stems, it would disrupt the health of its neighbor and nearly all of this branch, but its effects would be largely contained,” she said matter-of-factly.

She retrieved her spear to point at Heimdall and Loki, locked in combat. “Their strikes will land. However, only one will die by them; Loki’s power has been drained substantially, and he will not recover from his wound.” Skuld turned to Ada, her expression grave. “If I were to tell you that you have the power to save Loki or Jane, one or the other, which would you choose?”

                Ada’s voice caught in her throat for a split second. The answer was abundantly obvious, but her heart was reluctant to allow the words to pass her lips. “Jane,” she said firmly. “Because that stops Ragnarok, right?”

                Skuld smiled brightly. “Of course, of course,” she said. “How wonderful then that you can, in fact, save both of them.”

                “ _What_?” Ada asked flatly. “What the hell was the point of that hypothetical, then?”

                “Well, you know, we just had to make sure your heart is in the right place,” Skuld said with a grin.

                “You’re _Norns_ , don’t you already know what place my heart is in?” Ada said, a bit more sharply than she meant to. “And jeez, as if I could’ve made any other decision! I don’t want to end the universe!”

                “Just protocol,” Skuld and Verðandi said simultaneously.

                “Ah…” Ada sighed. She didn’t quite understand the purpose of Norn protocol, but she figured that was all the explanation she was going to get. She decided to move on. “So, knowing that I _can_ save everyone is nice, but… how? Should I do it while time is frozen?”

                “Oh my, no,” Skuld said quickly. “If you were to venture out now, the fabric of reality itself would most likely tear you apart; it tends not to like outliers.”

                “Oh, right,” Ada squeaked.

                “The secret to your success lies in the Well of Urd,” Skuld went on. “It is contained immediately below the roots of Yggdrasil, and a vein of its pure water runs directly up the tree’s trunk. If this vein is pieced, the Well’s enchanted waters will rain down from the branches of Yggdrasil, drowning the flames of the fire jotuns.”

                “And that’ll take out Geðr before she can kill Jane?” Ada asked somewhat suspiciously.

                “If it doesn’t “take her out”, it will certainly cause her enough pain that she will be distracted from her objective long enough for Thor to get Jane out of harm’s way,” Skuld said with a shrug.

                “I dunno, it just seems so… _simple_ ,” Ada said, holding her hands before her in disbelief.

                Skuld chuckled. “Some truths are always the same, no matter the iteration of the universe- one of those truths is that fire will always bow to water.”

                Ada raised an eyebrow. “How am I supposed to pierce it, anyway? And how will that save Loki?” Simple as the concept may be, Heimdall was not a fire jotun, and she thought he seemed unlikely to stop his attack due to a little water.

                “That is where things become rather complicated,” Skuld said. For the first time, Ada heard some apprehension- sadness?- in her voice. “You must place yourself between Loki and Heimdall. Loki would never knowingly harm you, and will instantly lose his desire to use his dagger as soon as he sees you in front of him. When he throws his blade, Yggdrasil will allow it to pass through its protective boundary, due to the lack of malice present in the action. The dagger will strike the heart of the Well of Urd within Yggdrasil’s trunk, allowing the water to flow.”

                “That’s not _too_ bad,” Ada said cautiously. “But what about Heimdall?”

                “Therein lies the complication,” Skuld sighed. “While Heimdall would not hurt you without reason, his main objective is to protect the realm. If that means going through you to get to Loki, then that is what he will do.”

                “Oh…” Ada trailed off. She stared silently at the ground for a long moment before looking up to meet Skuld’s eyes. “Am I going to die?”

                “Probably not?” Skuld said weakly- it was more of a question than a solid response.

                A graceful hand was suddenly on Skuld’s shoulder. Verðandi approached, smiling peacefully. “We are not sure what path the universe will take once you halt Ragnarok. This is, of course, due to the disruptive nature of Bragi and his children,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We are currently at a series of crossroads; you have moved past the first set of them by passing through Yggdrasil’s barrier. There was the distinct possibility that you would not, due to a variety of reasons that are no longer relevant to our discussion. But now we have come to the second set- we cannot see clearly down either path until you have stopped Ragnarok.”

                Skuld nodded in agreement. “I can tell you this, however: Bragisdottirs of the past have a reputation for being spectacularly hard to kill. I am not sure if that fact is comforting to you or not.”

                “I… guess…” Ada said slowly. She had never given much thought to her own death; the deaths of her family members had been hard enough to bear without having some existential crisis about her own mortality, so she had pushed it to the side. Far enough to the side, apparently, that she was more interested in gathering knowledge from the known criminal and murderer Loki than she was for self-preservation. But hey, things had worked out so far, right?

                She took a deep breath. “So how do I get between Heimdall and Loki without getting ripped apart by reality?” she asked, proud that she had somehow managed to keep her voice from shaking.

                Skuld and Verðandi smiled. “We will set time back several seconds, long enough for you to intervene,” Skuld said. “And that is all you must do: intervene. If you try to physically restrain either of them, this plan will not work.”

                Ada took a wide stance, partly to prepare herself, and partly to try to keep her legs from quivering. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said, her voice ringing with determination.

                “I can give you one more piece of information,” Skuld said slowly, staring past Ada and into space (perhaps literally). “If you survive, you will gain something precious, but lose something perhaps more precious. This is the risk you must take.”

                “Hey, as long as everybody isn’t dead at the end of this, I think I can deal with it,” Ada said, forcing a laugh and hoping Skuld’s light expression would return. When it did not, Ada silenced her laugh with a cough.

                “You do not yet know what you will lose or even if you will have the opportunity to lose it, nor do I,” Skuld said darkly, “and for that, I apologize.”

                Verðandi and the Urd-rooster came to stand on either side of Skuld. “When you step out from behind the veil of Yggdrasil, your memories of your time here with us will become clouded,” Verðandi said gently. “We have been conversing in a place slightly outside of space and time; your mind would not normally be able to comprehend such a place.”

“Though I am confident you will remember what you must do,” Skuld said with a small smile. “Now, we shall begin the process of turning back time. Position yourself to pass through the veil when we say the word.”

                Ada nodded at her and smiled. “Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity… and sorry about my great-great-grandfather,” she added.

                Skuld and Verðandi giggled while the Urd-rooster babbled out several “bok”s.

                Ada turned and approached the edge of the shimmering magical barrier. She looked over her shoulder to await the signal from the Norns, and was shocked to find that all of their eyes had become completely golden- no more pupils, no more irises, just orbs of shining gold. Ada heard a noise in front of her and she whipped her head around to find the source. Einherjar and fire jotuns, Thor and Geðr, and Loki and Heimdall were all slowly creeping backwards, their shouts reversing in time with their actions.

                The slow rewind continued for about thirty seconds, which only encouraged the knot of fear in Ada’s stomach to grow. She took several breaths to try to calm herself, and then-

                “Go, Aðalrun,” Skuld’s voice called from behind her.

                Ada leapt through the veil of magic, instantly becoming almost sickeningly dizzy the moment her feet touched the ground on the other side. She pushed through it, darting around a stray einherjar, finally approaching Heimdall’s enormous form. He whirled to evade Loki’s first dagger, and Ada caught sight of the god of mischief’s wild eyes. She maintained contact with them as she ducked under Heimdall’s dodge. She watched Loki draw his second dagger, and placed herself directly between the two men, flinging her arms out wide.

                Loki, immediately aware of Ada’s exposed position, deflected the path of his blade so it would pass her by without incident. Heimdall, however, had no such emotional ties to Ada, and was much slower to react.

                His sword passed straight and true through the left side of Ada’s chest and was quickly withdrawn, leaving a blooming rosette of crimson whose shape was soon distorted by a torrent of rain.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 

                _Well that fucking hurts_ , Ada thought. That was an understatement; there wasn’t a word in any language she knew of that could be used to convey the amount of pain she was suddenly in. It wasn’t “hurt” or “pain” or “ow”; it was a ripping, a burning, a breaking feeling, beyond what she thought she even had the capacity to experience.

                She was so focused on the feeling of her new wound that she didn’t realize she had begun to fall. Everything was moving in slow motion… was it some powerful magic? The Norns perhaps? Ada did so wish she could’ve met them, although it really almost felt like she had…

                As her body descended, she vaguely recognized a pair of flashing green eyes, flickering like candles in the darkening room. Darkening? This was all very strange. Shouts and screams faded in and out around her, along with an odd and rather disgusting sizzling noise. The flames of a fire jotun blazed in her peripheral vision, and slowly burnt out.

                The indescribable pain in her chest had become distant, an echo of a feeling, passing through her weak consciousness. Her knees thumped against the hard stone floor and she looked down, somewhat surprised that she had stopped falling. Red was spreading down the front of her gown, her poor, beautiful gown, which was already wet for some reason. _Oh, the Well_ , Ada thought, half a memory flitting through her mind. That was the source of the water… the rain. It was cold compared to the increasingly large area of warm red around her wound. She didn’t like it.

                “ _Aðalrun_!” a smooth voice cried in surprisingly close proximity. Smooth, even though it was permeated by fear.

                Ada raised her head and lowered her bottom, sitting on her feet. It took her a moment to process the image in front of her. Man, golden armor, black hair, pale skin…

                “ _Loki_ ,” she breathed with as much of a smile as she could muster. “You’re not blue anymore…”

                He placed his large hands on her arms… his hands were cold too. But they always were, right? Lots of things were beginning to feel cold. Her feet were tingly…

                “No, Aðalrun, my Aðalrun,” Loki choked, pulling her to him. “You _bastard_ , you’ve killed her!” Ada heard him half-growl, half-sob over her shoulder.

                “M’ not dead,” she mumbled into his neck, breathing in the scent of his hair. She closed her eyes and nuzzled him. Closing her eyes felt nice. Maybe she should stay like that.

                “It was not my intention, traitor,” Heimdall said behind her, his voice firm and flat. “I will allow you to say your farewells before I arrest you for treason.”

                “We’ll see about that,” Loki hissed, pulling Ada away from him slightly. His golden armor was now running crimson.

                Ada’s head lolled to the side. She was rather unhappy about the fact she had to open her eyes again, but she had to do things. Things… what things? “Oh yeah,” she slurred, doing her best to turn to Heimdall. “You’re wrong, Loki’s not a traitor… he saved us. His dagger- _ggk_!” A stab of pain raced through her entire body and she curled forward in agony.

                “Aðalrun, don’t, we’ll get you to the healing rooms-“ Loki stammered, positioning himself to scoop her up.

                “That will be a wasted effort Loki, you know how fragile these mortals are,” Heimdall rumbled.

                Ada uncurled slightly to shoot him a very weak glare. “Shut up, let me tell you,” she mumbled grumpily. “Loki’s dagger pierced the Well of Urd, he saved Jane and stopped Ragnarok.” She had to pause to catch her breath, but she forced herself to continue. “You saw the rooster Heimdall, I know you did. Skuld and Verðandi told me to get between you… I mean, I guess I was technically the one who stopped Ragnarok, but Loki… he didn’t do any of this…”

                She exhaled slowly. Her cheeks were cold and prickly and her mouth tasted funny, like metal. She leaned heavily on Loki, becoming distracted by the sparkling spots in the corners of her vision. She didn’t see the stunned look Heimdall was giving her. “You conversed with the Norns while you were beneath Yggdrasil?” he said with as much composure as he could muster (which wasn’t much).

                “You can ask her about it after we get to the healing rooms!” Loki snapped, scooping Ada up.

                “Wooo,” Ada said involuntarily, the sudden motion smashing her extremely fragile equilibrium. Everything spun around her into a blend of gold, darkness, gold, shimmering blue-

                “I do not believe we have that long,” Heimdall said quietly.

                Ada could feel Loki’s body jerk as he whipped his head up to glare at the guardian. “If you hold your damned tongue, we may yet!” He spun around quickly and shouted, “BRAGI!”, the name reverberating through his chest against Ada.

                Her eyelids were very heavy, and it was extremely difficult to keep her head upright anymore. She relaxed into Loki’s arms, letting the comforting darkness wash over her.

                “Keep your eyes open, sweet one, please, just a bit more…” Loki said desperately. It was weird to hear him talk like this, forgoing his well-constructed speech pattern for frantic strings of words. They were moving now, too, and he sounded short of breath. She missed his velvety calm voice.

                “Loki, I can’t die,” Ada wheezed, her head falling back again. “M’ not done yet… gotta write up the Proto-Norse…” she trailed off.

                Loki said something in response, but she couldn’t really hear it. He sounded like he was talking into a pillow. The darkness behind her eyelids was warm, maybe if she could go back to it for a little while, she would feel better… just a little while…

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                It was a large room, but the low ceiling gave it a closer atmosphere. Tall windows that stretched the entire height of the walls let the afternoon light in on dozens of well-kept but long-empty beds.

                In the days since the Battle of Yggdrasil (as it was now being called), the most gravely injured einherjar that once occupied the beds had one by one been deemed sufficiently healed and were discharged to resume their duties. There were surprisingly few einherjar casualties that resulted from the battle; most injuries were severe burns that the healers could easily treat.

                The healers were equal parts terrified and painfully curious about treating the burns to Jane’s throat caused by Geðr’s dagger, and had the situation been any different, Jane probably would’ve delayed the process for several hours with questions. As it stood, though, Jane nearly got away with postponing her treatment indefinitely in order to participate in what was a rather antiquated medical procedure by Asgardian terms- a blood transfusion.

                She dozed off and on next to the only bed left with an occupant, unable to fully drift off due to Bragi’s alternation between incessant talking and heavy snoring in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. She had gotten a modicum of peace when Bragi had been called to testify in Loki’s treason hearing, but the god had returned more quickly than she would’ve liked.

                Thor came to check on them as often as he could (which wasn’t very often, really- with Odin still deep in Odinsleep, it fell to him to preside over the trial), and tried to encourage Jane to return to their quarters at least temporarily to get some real rest. But every time she would refuse- she wanted to stay by Ada’s side until she woke up.

                The morning that Loki’s verdict was due to be handed down, Bragi was in a particularly chatty mood. Jane was thankful when a healer came by to check Ada’s status; their portable soul forges- she had to physically stop herself several times from referring to them as quantum field generators- were a source of endless fascination, though the healers were quite reluctant to let her play with them.

                “Still no change,” the young healer said flatly, withdrawing the projection of Ada’s body back into the oblong and brassy soul forge unit. Ada’s chest rose and fell in regular but shallow breaths, the rest of her body frighteningly motionless beneath a thin white sheet. “It may be prudent to prepare yourself for the possibility that she may never wake up. Mortals are so fragile, you know-“

                “She will indeed awaken in her own time!” Bragi boomed before Jane got the chance to stick up for her friend. “I shall not abide by such lack of faith in the resilience of my offspring!”

                “Easy tiger,” Jane said calmly. “She was just filling us in. Now look, you’ve scared her half to death.”

                Indeed, the healer looked like she was about to cry. Bragi made a comforting noise and stood, walking around the bed to place his arm gently on the girl’s back. “Now now, my dear, I mean you no harm… forgive my sharp tongue, I am simply not accustomed to being in the presence of such beauty!”

                Jane rolled her eyes and made a face as they slowly walked off, Bragi’s honeyed words fading as they went. One day he was going to run out of healers to charm. She turned back to Ada with a sigh. “Wake up already, will you?” she whispered. “C’mon, Ada, I know you wouldn’t mind staying in Asgard forever, but not like _this_ …”

                “Announcing the standing Allfather Thor and Prince Loki!” a clear male voice suddenly echoed through the hall, causing Jane to nearly fall off of her chair.

                She whipped her head around to glare at the slightly sheepish god. “Thor, I thought we talked about the einherjar introduction? We’re the only ones in here, do you _really_ need-“ she stopped short when she realized that Thor was not the only one who had been introduced.

                A rather haggard looking Loki, wearing the leather armor he had been dressed in the first night she saw him, followed close behind, staring intently at Ada’s prone figure with tired eyes. As Thor approached the bed, Loki stayed as still as a statue, barely breathing as he apparently tried to process the sight.

                Thor continued to Jane’s side and she raised an eyebrow at him. “Not guilty, then?” she tried to keep the suspicion from her voice, but was only partly successful.

                Thor avoided her eyes. “On most counts,” he said quietly. “Not all. I shall discuss it with you further after-“

                “Tell me what’s going on,” Loki cut in, startling Jane with the intense sincerity in his eyes. “Wasn’t the transfusion successful? Why is she still unconscious?”

                “They don’t know,” Jane answered curtly... probably a bit _too_ curtly. She shook her head to clear it. “As far as I know, everything went well, but they can’t figure out why she’s still asleep. I mean, I can’t say I’m _surprised_ , given Asgard’s inexperience with mortal medical treatment, but I really thought they’d at least have an inkling of what’s going on with her.”

                “I thought as much,” Loki said, the exasperation evident in his voice. He took a hesitant step towards the bed, but continued with a more determined gait until he reached Bragi’s empty chair. “Healers rely entirely too much on their soul forges, often neglecting to examine what is right in front of them. They should’ve allowed me to stay by her side, this would’ve gone much more smoothly.” He narrowed his eyes at Ada, looking at something neither Jane nor Thor could see.

                “Well, if you hadn’t almost caused the end of the world-“ Jane started, but was silenced by Loki suddenly holding up a hand. Her cheeks flushed with rage and she opened her mouth to say something in response, but was distracted by Thor’s hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he gently shook his head.

                “Ah, you see!” Loki said, flipping his hand for further emphasis before moving it to just above Ada’s chest. He pinched the air and drew his fingers up in a straight line, releasing whatever he was holding a good distance away from Ada’s body. “She just needed a catalyst, her new blood is still resisting being fully incorporated into her system. She should be awake in a matter of hours.”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Ada was, of course, completely unaware of any of these events, or the fact that she was supposed to wake up in a matter of hours. So her eyes popped open the moment she became conscious of Loki’s voice and she drew in a huge lungful of air, startling everyone around the bed.

                Loki all but fell into Bragi’s chair and clasped her hand, his mask of stoicism forgotten. “Aðalrun, Aðalrun,” he repeated in something between a laugh and a sob.

                Ada regarded him with a great deal of shock but without much recognition. She narrowed her eyes, memories beginning to tickle the back of her mind. She slowly turned to look at Thor, who was wearing a jubilant smile, and Jane, who was almost vibrating from excitement.

                Ada’s eyes widened as the memory floodgates were opened and she turned her whole body back to face Loki, snatching her hand out of his in order to push herself up in bed.

                “Loki…?” she said hoarsely, wincing as she sat up straight. She blinked and shifted back to face Thor and Jane. “Jane! God, are you ok? Geðr was going to kill you, and I… holy shit, I died…” she trailed off in confusion, maintaining eye contact with Jane.

                “Not quite,” Jane said, her voice full of joy and relief.

                “Loki, you carried me…” Ada said, turning again to Loki. She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily before fully taking in the sight of him- all the turning back and forth was making her dizzy. When she slowly opened them again, she was taken aback by his expression. It was some strange, incongruous mixture of trying not to cry from happiness and trying to conceal pain. He was doing better at the not crying than the concealing pain; his brow was knitted into a severe peak. Ada lifted a shaky hand in his direction and he took it eagerly, her touch apparently resolving whatever conflict was raging within him.

                In turn, the coolness of his skin on hers somewhat soothed the anxiety she felt at not knowing what the hell happened or where she was. She smiled at him weakly, feeling guilty that her emotions were apparently not as strong as his.

                “You had pretty much bled out by the time you got to the healing rooms, and Loki suggested a blood transfusion, which confused the heck out of the healers,” said Jane with a laugh.

                “Blood… transfusion…?” Ada repeated. She raised an eyebrow. “Whose blood?”

                Jane raised a wrist and pointed to it. “Type O, universal donor!” she proudly exclaimed.

                Ada chuckled. She was feeling more herself the longer she was awake, but there were still so many questions… “Thank you,” she said with sincerity and a smile.

                Jane suddenly looked bashful. “Well, I’m not the only one you should thank…”

                “You are a Bragisdottir after all,” Loki clarified. When Ada turned to face him, she was relieved to find the raw emotion gone, replaced by a calm but uncharacteristically honest smile. “We had to take your heritage into account when the procedure was initiated; Bragi was, for once in his life, useful, and contributed some of his own blood to maintain the ratio of mortal to Asgardian blood within your body. And indeed, I am proud to say that my calculations for the mixture appear to be perfect.”

                “So you didn’t do that blood replacement thing you talked about a while ago?” Ada asked with an air of suspicion. “I’m more or less the same?”

                “Possibly less…” Jane muttered under her breath.

                Ada looked quickly from Jane to Loki, who was glaring daggers at her friend. “ _Possibly less_?” she said with an edge to her voice.

                Loki shifted his focus back to Ada, though he avoided her eyes. “This procedure has never been done before, and while it was obviously successful, I did have to account for a few unforeseen variables…”

                “Like the fact that you started the transfusion with Bragi before you had completed your calculations?” Jane finished his sentence for him harshly.

                Loki involuntarily squeezed Ada’s hand in anger. “ _Yes, like that_ ,” he hissed in Jane’s direction, still avoiding Ada’s eyes.

                Ada had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and pressed her lips into a thin line. She finally caught Loki’s eyes and frowned. “What exactly does _that_ mean?”

                Loki sighed. “I’m not sure yet, sweetling,” he said smoothly. “But I assure you I shall remain by your side to tend to whatever side effects-“

                “Hey, what’s with the language all of a sudden?” Jane cut in, raising her eyebrows in confusion. “Suddenly you’re feeling well enough to speak Proto-Norse?”

                “What?” Ada said with a grimace, facing Jane. “No I wasn’t.”

                “You totally were,” Jane insisted. “Trust me. I may not actually know Proto-Norse, but I can only assume, given the situation-“

                “Thor,” Ada interrupted, “Could you understand us?”

                “Of course, Aðalrun!” he laughed. “I do not know why Jane is claiming to hear such things!”

                Jane scowled up at Thor, who apparently immediately regretted disagreeing with her. However, pieces were slowly beginning to fall into place in Ada’s mind, and she ignored them to turn back to Loki, her eyes alight with excitement.

                “The Alltongue! Is this the Alltongue?” she exclaimed with a bright smile, taking his hand in both of hers and lifting it up. “Did the Alltongue come from Bragi’s blood? Oh my god, this is incredible, I can’t wait to-“ she choked to a sudden halt as something occurred to her. She slowly and stiffly faced Jane, most of the color gone from her face. “Jane, do me a favor… say something in French,” she said haltingly.

                Jane stared at her blankly. “What?” she asked, her voice flat.

                “Look, I know you don’t speak much French, but you know a little, right? Just say anything, say “My name is Jane” or something,” Ada rambled, becoming increasingly frenzied.

                “Uh…” Jane started, casting her eyes to the ground as she tried to think of something to say. “Cheese omelet? The library?”

                “No, in _French_ ,” Ada insisted. “What even is a cheese omelet library?”

                “Ada, that _was_ French,” Jane said, arching an eyebrow.

                Ada’s expression hardened into a frown, and she pulled one of her hands away from Loki’s to cup her chin. “I’ll gain something, I’ll lose something…” she muttered, staring at the lumps of her feet under the covers. She fully released Loki’s hand to cross her arm over her stomach.

                Loki cocked his head at her reaction. “What is it? Are you not pleased with your new ability? I must admit, I did not factor your acquisition of the Alltongue into the projected outcome of the procedure. Though it does make sense, given the nature of the enchantment.” He smirked. “I imagine your Midgardian colleagues will be extremely jealous.”

                Ada whipped her head up to glare at him. “I can’t be a linguist if I can’t _hear the difference_ between the languages I’m studying!” she snapped, quickly going back to staring at her toes and stroking her chin.

                “Ah…” Loki said, casting his eyes away. “I suppose that would cause you some difficulty…”

                “Oh Ada, I’m so sorry,” Jane said with concern. “Maybe it’ll fade after a while?”

                Before Ada even had a chance to begin to hope that Jane was right, Loki answered. “No, once the enchantment has entered her system, it is impossible to separate without fully eradicating the Asgardian blood from her body.”

                “And that apparently tends to kill people,” Ada finished with a groan. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. When she opened them again, she put on a forced smile and hoped nobody would be the wiser. “But at least I’m not dead, right? And the world didn’t even end!”

                “My darling fighter of a granddaughter!” Bragi’s voice suddenly rang out from across the room. He was quickly at her bedside, practically pushing Loki out of the way to get to her. “I am truly overjoyed to see that you have rejoined us! I am terribly sorry I was not at your side when you returned to consciousness, I was required elsewhere temporarily-“

                “With a _healer_?” Loki cut him off, looking him up and down with disgust. “Really, have you no sense of decorum?”

                “Wonderful to see you out of chains, Loki!” Bragi responded with a wide grin.

                Ada covered her eyes with one hand. As Bragi and Loki engaged in increasingly unfriendly banter, she dragged her hand down her face to look at Thor and Jane for assistance- only to find them talking quietly to one another with worried expressions.

                (Somewhat) alone with her thoughts for the first time since she woke up, Ada felt overwhelmed. She closed her eyes with a wince and inched down in bed, wishing she could just go back to sleep. And despite her churning mind and the verbal war beside her, her body was soon more than happy to oblige.

 

 

PS- Omg I’m so sorry I missed an update! I feel particularly horrible given last week’s cliffhanger! I love you all, thanks for sticking around x


	31. Chapter 31

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 **Author’s Note II:** I’m posting two chapters today, this one **_and_** the *final* one! Have fun!

 

                Ada faced the mirror, turned around to look at her back, and faced forward again. She sighed and tugged on her maroon dress nervously, trying in vain to hide the large scars on her chest and back. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed to have them (because how many people can say that they’ve been stabbed by a god and survived?), it was more the fact that she didn’t want them to cause any emotional upset when she saw Loki.

                She should’ve requested a more concealing outfit while she was being dressed, but Drifa was so uncharacteristically happy to see her it had slipped her mind. Five days was a long time to have been unconscious, and apparently most people hadn’t really expected her to wake up at all. Drifa, though, had proudly proclaimed that she knew she could recover.

                Ada sighed and looked away, scratching the back of her head nervously. Her energy had returned quickly after waking up in the healing rooms, but she still felt severely… off. Perhaps it was the overabundance of Asgardian blood that now flowed through her veins. Or possibly the looming mystery of what was to become of she and Jane now that Yggdrasil had been found and the conflict was resolved.

Or maybe it was the fact that Loki had been so expressive towards her, which was not only something she had never seen before, but something she really didn’t know if she could reciprocate without a great deal of guilt for loving a man who nearly ended the universe.

                Ada hadn’t seen Loki since Thor and Jane had escorted her back to her quarters last night, which now conspicuously lacked einherjar guards. She had fought the temptation to knock on the comfortingly familiar connecting door that night, electing instead to pass out face-down in her pillows. A part of her had hoped he would come in at some point during the night, but that obviously didn’t happen. She wasn’t sure if the feeling in her stomach that resulted from it was “relief” or “worry”.

                She trailed her fingers along the edge of the wooden desk in her room absentmindedly, until she caught sight of her stack of notes. Her breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt sick; would her acquisition of the Alltongue prevent her from reading the Proto Norse analysis she had worked so hard on?

                Ada sunk down into a chair and shakily pulled the papers toward her. She involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut when she saw the shapes of letters- she wasn’t sure what she would do if everything was now English to her mind. She took a small breath and opened one eye, scanning through the parsed phrases.

                She inhaled sharply and grinned when she realized that she still could, in fact, read the Proto Norse she had so carefully recorded. Even if she could never again collect any data, at least she could finish her dissertation! And after that, she apparently had a shining career ahead of her in translation.

                She stuck out her tongue and rested her chin in her hand. She didn’t particularly _want_ to be a translator, despite its profitability. Before being kidnapped and taken to an alien galaxy, she had made peace with the fact that she would most likely remain a starving academic for the rest of her life… she had more than made peace with it, she was looking forward to it. Now what?

                As if in answer to Ada’s unspoken question, she heard a soft rap on the connecting door. She took a moment to swallow her nervousness and dread before responding. “C-come in!” she called uncertainly.

                Loki, looking equal parts dapper and imposing in his leather armor, slipped quietly through the door in a manner that was fractionally more tentative than how he had presented himself in the past. However, when he saw Ada sitting stiffly behind the desk, a characteristically mischievous smirk curled his lips. “My my,” he said smoothly, “You look as if you were expecting a professor rather than a lover.”

                “I, er, wasn’t really _expecting_ either,” Ada laughed nervously. “Sorry.”

                “Returning so soon to your academic pursuits?” He nodded to her notes as he crossed the room to take a seat in the chair opposite her.

Ada felt her face flush as his eyes flicked over her scar, and she raised a hand to self-consciously rub the back of her neck, her arm tactfully covering the painfully obvious mark. “I wasn’t sure if I _could_ ,” she said, casting her eyes down. “But thankfully my new magical capacity for language doesn’t seem to extend to the written word.”

                “You will soon learn to embrace your superior abilities,” Loki said confidently, his eyes sparkling.

                “I didn’t _want_ superior abilities,” Ada grumbled with a frown, avoiding Loki’s eyes. “How am I supposed to explain to my colleagues how I’m suddenly fluent in _everything_?”

                Loki gave a small shrug, the expression on his face indicating that he didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

                “Loki, what are we supposed to _do_?” Ada almost sobbed suddenly, finally meeting his carefree gaze. “How do we go on after everything that happened? How do _I_ go on? I talked to the _Norns_ , for god’s sake!”

                He blinked several times, apparently taken by surprise at the sudden shift in conversation. “So you _did_ talk to them,” he said slowly. “I was unsure if you were just rambling in your delirium.”

                Ada rolled her eyes at his bluntness. “Well I wasn’t. How do you think I knew to throw myself between you and Heimdall? I mean, I can’t say I remember _everything_ about our conversation, but I’m pretty sure they told me I would have that problem…”

                “Fascinating,” Loki said with an unexpectedly sinister smirk, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. “They barely ever commune with Asgardians, let alone mortals. Tell me, what were they like?”

                “Huh-uh, no way,” Ada held up her hands and shook her head. “I know that look. I’m not going to give you any fuel to scheme against them.”

                Loki chuckled and leaned back, resting an elbow on the arm of his chair. “Believe me, sweetling, I have no desire to construct another web of lies and deceit to accomplish my goals.” He paused. “At least, not right now.”

                “ _That_ I believe,” Ada mumbled.

                “But back to your questions,” Loki said, ignoring her. “I am a free man now! Thor, as the acting Allfather, has absolved me of my crimes. I shall be able to visit you on Midgard as often as I like.”

                Ada gave him a tired look. “No he didn’t, and no you won’t. I was weak in the healing rooms, not _dead_ \- Jane told me the verdict.”

                Loki looked slightly deflated. “Well, I am free for the time being, until my sentence is handed down. And that may take years!”

                “Man, the Asgardian justice system is _weird_ ,” Ada said, scrunching up her face.

                “Would you rather me wallow in the dungeons until then?” Loki asked indignantly.

                Ada thought for a moment. “Not really, but you probably deserve it... No, you _do_ deserve it.”

                “Why thank you, darling,” Loki said dryly.

                “Well what the hell do you expect?!” Ada said, anger rising within her. “You lied to Thor, to me, to _everyone_ , and the universe almost ended because of it!”

                “Yes, but I fixed it, didn’t I?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

                Ada was quite surprised at the sincerity in his face. Did he honestly think changing his mind at the last second absolved him of his prior plotting? And besides… “ _I_ fixed it,” she said sternly. “Really, the Norns fixed it. I would’ve had no idea what to do had they not coached me.”

                Loki looked rather crestfallen, but quickly hid his emotions under a frown. “I only ever had our best interests at heart. Is that not enough?”

                “ _No_ , not really!” Ada snapped. She regretted her tone when she saw raw pain flash through his eyes. She drew a quick breath before trying to explain herself. “Loki, I… care for you deeply, but I’m not going to blindly support your destruction of the realm and murder of my best friend, even if you were doing it “for us”. I could never live with myself if I just stood by and watched as you caused chaos. I can’t be with someone with so little regard for others, even if they care about _me_.” Ada hoped against hope her little speech would have the desired effect. She needed something, _anything_ to trust about him…

                Loki stood suddenly, his chair toppling over behind him. He walked around the table in three long strides, coming to kneel beside Ada. “ _Aðalrun_ ,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. “There is nothing I can say to have you believe me, but there is something I can give you. My word.” He raised a hand and drew something invisible from his lips. He then pressed his fingers to the scar right above Ada’s heart, which made her jump. When he removed his fingers, he left a dark black line of runes, almost like a tattoo.

                Ada looked down at it with wide eyes. “ _Loki… Laufeyson_ ,” she read slowly, jerking her head up to look at him in shock. “What…?”

                “This is my word, my bond,” Loki said quietly. “Should I ever overstep my boundaries again, you may use these words to bring me down.”

                Ada stared at him, aghast. “ _Bring you down_? What does that even mean? How would I do that with a tattoo, anyway?” She rubbed the words on her skin lightly. “Will this come off?”

“Full of questions as always, my little Midgardian.” Loki chuckled as he stood. “You will know if the time comes. And no, it will not come off.”

                Ada’s eye twitched. “Now I have to explain a _tattoo_ on top of everything else?!”

                Loki laughed heartily. “I shall take it as a good sign if that is your only objection!”

                Ada gave him a crooked smile before she could stop herself and felt her heart leap in her chest. Yes, this was the desired effect. _Score one for team Ada_ , she thought. _Now comes trying to figure out how to maintain an inter-galactic long distance relationship…_

                Her train of thought was derailed by a shout from the front room. “Announcing the standing Allfather, Thor, and his mortal companion Jane Foster!”

                Loki closed his eyes and placed a palm to his forehead. “When will he tell them to stop doing that…” he grumbled.

                “I don’t know, but not soon enough,” Jane’s voice piped in before she stuck her head through the open bedroom door. She narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of Ada’s companion. “ _Loki_ ,” she said by way of greeting, with marginally more respect than loathing.

                “ _Jane_ ,” Loki said in the same tone.

                “Everyone!” Thor called joyfully, stepping through the door after Jane. “It is so wonderful to all be together again!”

                Ada couldn’t help but laugh at his irrepressible optimism. “Good to see you too, Thor,” she said through giggles.

                “Alas, we haven’t the time to catch up quite yet!” Thor said as he turned to Loki. “Brother, Bragi and mother explored your suggestions, and I am pleased to say they appear to have worked! We are all to meet with the Allfather immediately!”

                Ada’s grimaced in concern. “ _What_ suggestions?” she asked, slowly standing. “I thought Odin had gone into Odinsleep?”

                “And so he remains,” Thor said. “However, Loki developed an idea to use Bragi’s magic to channel the Allfather’s voice even while he sleeps. We are not sure how long this connection can be maintained, however; we must now be on our way.”

                Ada looked from him to Loki, who was obviously very pleased that his idea had been successful. She wondered what his motivation was.

                “Come now,” Loki said in a particularly velvety voice. “We mustn’t keep the Allfather waiting.”

                As the group filed out of the room, Ada fell into step with Jane, allowing the princes to walk ahead. “So it was just Bragi and Frigga that actually implemented this magical connection thing? Nobody else?” she asked in a quiet voice.

                Jane chuckled darkly. “What, you don’t trust Loki? I can’t _imagine_ why! But yes, Frigga and Bragi were the only ones.”

                Ada made a face at her as they turned down a corridor that she didn’t recognize. “Well that’s _mildly_ less suspicious.”

                They stopped in front of a pair of particularly grand, ornately carved doors, guarded on either side by the largest einherjar Ada had ever seen. As Thor approached the doors, they barred it with their spears. “Who calls on the Allfather?” one loudly demanded.

                Loki deeply rolled his eyes, but Thor spoke up. “Acting Allfather Thor Odinson, Prince Loki, and their Midgardian companions request an audience with his majesty!”

                “Very well,” the other einherjar said. They both lifted their spears and pushed the doors inwards.

                The room inside looked to be solid gold. It was the most otherworldly thing Ada had seen in her time on Asgard- it looked like the interior of a metallic spaceship. In the center of the room stood a low but somehow imposing bed, vaguely shaped like a Viking longship. It was covered by a shimmering dome of warm yellow magic, which partly obscured Odin’s sleeping form. Bragi knelt next to the bed, his arm passing through the magic barrier to rest on Odin’s shoulder. He raised a hand to wave as the group entered, sparing a wink for Ada.

                “Thor, Loki, Midgardians,” Odin’s voice abruptly sounded throughout the room. Ada and Jane looked around instinctually for the source of the voice, but found nothing. Neither Bragi nor Odin’s lips had moved. “I wish to extend to you my thanks, and the thanks of the realm, for showing such bravery in the face of Ragnarok. Bragi has communicated your actions to me… at some length.”

                Bragi grinned at Ada proudly.

                Thor crossed the room to stand at Odin’s bedside. “Father,” he said quietly, inclining his head. “We are honored and delighted to have this opportunity to speak with you despite your condition.”

                “My condition…” Odin rumbled. “I would not be in this _condition_ were it not for Loki’s actions.”

                Loki drew in a poorly concealed gasp and Ada gritted her teeth. If he had hoped that Odin would show him some mercy due to his assistance in allowing him to communicate, he was apparently very wrong.

                “Father, you must know that Loki was only working towards the good of the realm,” Thor said, keeping the surprise that showed on his face out of his voice.

                “ _Was_ he,” Odin asked dryly. “Nevertheless, I have elected to appoint an official duty to him, to hopefully better occupy his time. Loki, you are to travel to Midgard in order to gather information on how far the realm has progressed in our prolonged absence,” he said with little emotion.

                “ _What_?!” yelped Ada, Loki, and Jane simultaneously. Even Thor looked taken aback by the Allfather’s decree.

                Jane was the first to lodge a complaint. “You can’t be serious, not after all the havoc he wreaked last time he was on earth! Do you really trust him not to have another kind-of-influenced-by-aliens tantrum?”

                “ _Jane_ ,” Thor said sternly.

                “Loki, I, uh, you know…” Ada babbled, “You know how I feel about you, but yeah, I’m gonna have to agree with Jane here.”

                “ _Aðalrun_ ,” Thor said less sternly and with more worry.

                Loki rolled his eyes. “No need for apologies, my sweet, I don’t find it that thrilling of a prospect myself. If Thor’s damnable hero club-“

                “The Avengers,” Thor corrected, his irritation now abundantly obvious.

                Loki made a face. “If the _Avengers_ don’t kill me the moment I set foot in your realm, I’ll have an undetermined period of torture trying to lower myself to Midgardian living standards.”

                “ _Enough_ , all of you!” Odin’s voice boomed, echoing through the hall. Even Bragi winced slightly at his tone. “Loki, as long as you claim to be a member of my house, you are obligated to perform your duties as a son of Asgard.”

                Loki’s face contorted in rage. “I do _not_ claim to be a member of your house!” he spat. “Nor do I have any interest in participating in the obligations that come with such an _honorable position_.” His tone dripped with sarcasm and venom.

                “Then, Laufeyson, take it only as your _sentence_ ,” Odin’s voice hissed, full of nearly as much venom. “If you dare to disobey my orders, you may instead spend one hundred years chained to the wall of the deepest dungeons of Asgard.”

                “And what is my crime, Allfather?” Loki said smoothly. “Infiltrating the ranks of the fire jotuns? Manipulating them to cause their plans to implode? Stopping the destruction of the realms? Or perhaps coming up with the idea that has given you your voice back?”

                Ada’s eyes fluttered shut. She half wished she could blurt out the truth, just to prove Odin’s point.

                “You are well aware that Thor and the tribunal have found you guilty of involuntarily injuring citizens of Asgard and of being an accessory to irreparable damage to the realm,” Odin said evenly. “Thor has proven himself worthy as my successor, and I put my faith in his decision; however, were I in his place, you would have been tried _very_ differently. And your sentence would not be nearly so lenient. This is, of course, in addition to the fact that you tampered with the boundaries in place in and around your quarters while you were previously imprisoned. If any other being showed me such insolence, I would have them thrown in the dungeons for the rest of their miserable lives.” By the time he finished, his voice was low and threatening. It was hard to imagine it was emanating from the peacefully sleeping old man.

                Loki opened his mouth to argue further, but Ada cut him off, for fear of another familial conflict erupting. “But where will he stay? He’s right, the Avengers, and the American government for that matter, would _really_ like to get their hands on him,” she said. “How will he stay hidden? A disguise spell?”

                “His magic will be severely restricted for the duration of his stay on your realm,” Odin said. He almost sounded relieved that Ada hadn’t allowed Loki to speak. “And he shall reside with you, mortal Bragisdottir.”

                “I- _what_?!” Ada burst out. Loki looked more surprised at her reaction than Odin’s words.

                “Worry not, Midgardian, Thor will see to it that you are compensated for your trouble,” Odin continued. “I have chosen you to receive the honor of housing this emissary of Asgard due to your valiant actions in the battle of Yggdrasil.”

                “Um, o-okay, thank you?” Ada said out of sheer politeness. “But my flat isn’t exactly… big. It’s not even as big as half of my bedroom here.” Loki slowly raised an eyebrow at this.

                “I am confident that you and Loki will work out a solution,” Odin said in a tone that indicated he was done with the topic. “Now, I must request that Thor and I have some time alone to discuss matters of state.”

                “B-but…” Ada squeaked.

                “ _Farewell_ ,” Odin’s voice rumbled. It was more of a command than a goodbye.

                Jane, still seething, turned on her heel and marched toward the now-open golden doors. Ada stood motionless, trying to process what had just happened. _How am I supposed to house a GOD?!_ She thought, mind racing. _How long will he even be there? What about rent? What-_

                Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on the small of her back, urging her toward the door. She looked up to find Loki behind her, glaring over his shoulder at Thor and Odin. She reluctantly allowed herself to be guided out, shuffling her feet dejectedly.

                No sooner had Ada’s foot dragged across the threshold, the einherjar slammed the doors behind them. Ada jumped at the sudden sound and spun around, finding Jane leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

                “If getting stuck housing a manipulative, homicidal, and generally dangerous spoiled alien prince is the reward for saving the universe, remind me to _never_ do it,” Jane said, her tone growing harsher the more she spoke. “What is _wrong_ with these people?!”

                Ada crossed over to Jane and closed her eyes. She placed a hand on her arm. “Jane, I have just been forced by my boyfriend’s adopted father to shack up with my boyfriend while he spies on my planet. I have _no idea_ what is wrong with these people.”

                “Oh for Valhalla’s sake, don’t be so dramatic,” Loki said, throwing his hands up. “I am not being sent to spy on your pitiful people, I am only to see if their technology has progressed at all since Asgard’s last foray into the realm. And from my recent experience, I can already tell you that it has _not_. I’m sure this assignment will be a short one.”

                “I really hope so,” Jane spat. “Your presence on earth is going to put us all in danger. I have half a mind to take Ada back to the states as soon as we get back to earth and find a SHEILD agent, just so we can make them aware of your presence, so we don’t get accused of conspiring with a known criminal.”

                Loki’s face darkened. “That would not be wise, Jane Foster,” he growled.

                “And why wouldn’t it be, _Loki Laufeyson_?” Jane asked, mocking his tone. She pushed herself away from the wall to look him in the eye while Ada stepped back, unsure of what to do in the face of their conflict. “You destroyed most of a city, you killed thousands, and you drove my mentor nuts! I think a little supervision would be _pretty damn wise_.”

                Ada found her voice before Loki could threaten Jane further. “Jane, I wish I could honestly tell you not to worry, but the best I can do is say you _probably_ don’t have to worry,” she said. “Loki gave me his word that he wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

                “ _Oh_ , his _word_ ,” Jane said with false sincerity. “And what good is that? Do you know if he’s ever been truthful in his whole life?! Why would he start now?”

                “I have my reasons,” Loki said quietly.

                Jane glowered at him and huffed. “I guess it doesn’t really matter now, does it? You’re going to earth by _Odin’s decree_ , which Thor apparently won’t even argue with-“

                “What won’t I argue with, my love?” Thor asked gently, stepping out of the Allfather’s chamber.

                Jane opened her mouth to explain, but Loki and Ada both cut her off with “Nothing!”

                Thor chuckled and shook his head. “It does seem that you’re having fun with the girls, Loki, but I believe you have some packing to do!”

                “If only I could somehow pack a desire to go through with this…” Loki grumbled.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

                Ada sat on her bed in her nightgown, twiddling her thumbs. Thor had informed she and Jane that they and Loki would be sent back to earth the next morning, and she couldn’t find it within herself to lie down to sleep. For all the horrible things that had happened in Asgard, she was going to miss it- or the little part of it she had inhabited for the past couple of weeks.

                _Couple of weeks? Is that only how long it’s been?_ She thought wistfully. So much had gone on that it felt like she’d spent a lifetime there. She would miss her huge wardrobe, her huge room, her huge bed-

                And Loki’s bed.

                Ada’s face grew hot. She hadn’t thought of anything of that sort for days, and suddenly all her memories of their time together (and _together_ ) came rushing back. Her heart fluttered as her mind replayed certain events of the nights they had spent together. The way his cool hands felt on her flesh, the feeling of his lips pressed to hers, the exquisite ecstasy that came when he-

                The connecting door creaked open, snapping Ada out of her increasingly dirty thoughts. “How do you do that?!” she demanded as Loki’s lithe form slipped into the room. He had changed from his leather armor to his casual green linen shirt, and looked much less imposing.

                He grinned. “Do what, sweetling?” he asked innocently. _Too_ innocently.

                “It’s my mental projection, isn’t it?” Ada said, covering her eyes with one hand. _Oh god, how much did he hear?_

                Loki chuckled. “Your new blood seems to have magnified it substantially. May I advise you to not think such _intense_ thoughts in close proximity to one who is as attuned to magic as I?”

                “Advice duly noted,” Ada mumbled. She stared at his feet, too embarrassed to look at his face. Her eyes widened as they started walking towards her. She jerked her head up to watch him advance. “L-Loki, I don’t-“

                He unexpectedly wrapped her upper body in a tender hug, holding her head to his chest. “I did miss this,” he whispered into her hair.

                Ada thought her heart might beat out of her chest. She felt frozen; she wanted to hug him back, but was somehow terrified to. She managed to raise a shaking hand to clutch the hem of his shirt.

                Feeling her indecision, Loki laughed and pulled away, resting one hand on her shoulder while he stroked her cheek with the other. “My Aðalrun…” he said, watching his fingers gently trail along her skin.

                Ada kept her grip on his shirt and looked up at him with quickly dilating pupils. Was this okay? Was this _really_ okay, after everything he’d done?

                “Oh Aðalrun, do try to soothe your tumultuous thoughts,” Loki purred. “I am no different from how I was before. In fact, I am better; for now you know of all my plans and machinations.”

                Ada had to look away from Loki, lest she guffaw in his face. “Let’s not exaggerate reality here!” she laughed.

                Loki sighed. “You are right,” he conceded. “I have spun so many webs and formulated so many plots that I doubt I could tell you about all of them before the end of your short life. But know, my sweet, that the information is available to you- all you have to do is ask.”

                “Thank you, Loki,” Ada said, her voice full of emotion as she turned back to face him. “I… Loki, I… thank you for coming back. Please don’t do anything like that again.” She knew her words probably wouldn’t be the difference between him giving up a life of crime and him taking back up the mantle of being the universe’s number one mischief maker, but they certainly made her feel better.

                “Never,” Loki said, leaning down to softly press his lips to hers. Something in his voice reassured her, and she smiled into the kiss.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author’s note** : the letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the “th” in the word “them”

 **Author’s Note II:** This is the last chapter, oh my goodness. I’ve written out a heartfelt thank-you after the actual meat of the story, but if you don’t feel like reading my emotional gobbledygook, THANK YOU FOR READING, I LOVE YOU!!!

 

                Saying goodbye to Drifa was hard, and saying goodbye to Frigga was harder, but it was beyond weird for Ada to see them in the same place at once. They weren’t very similar in appearance or attitude, but somehow their shared mannerisms made them into almost twins in Ada’s mind.

                Frigga now walked slowly through the palace corridors with Ada, alone, despite the protest of the queen’s einherjar retinue. Ada awkwardly carried the bundle Drifa had given her before she left her quarters for the last time- it contained her volva costume, as well as some other things she had thought were long gone. She was thankful to have her old dress back, although it now felt coarse and heavy compared to the Asgardian gowns she had become accustomed to. More coarse and heavy than it used to, anyway; it was made of wool, that kind of came with the territory. It was an odd feeling to have it back… as if it were time for her to return to the real world from fantasy land.

                “You are so deep in thought, little one.” Frigga’s voice drifted over to Ada like a gentle breeze. “Are you troubled?”

                “Oh, no, not really… sorry,” Ada stammered. “Just, well… I’m going to miss it here. And I didn’t even really get to see anything.”

                Frigga smiled gently, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “You shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a return visit. After all, Loki must deliver his report on your realm at some point.”

                A worried sound escaped Ada’s lips before she could stop it, and Frigga gave her a tinkling laugh. “You needn’t concern yourself with monitoring him for signs of the return of his old behavior. Something tells me he’s turned over a new leaf.” Frigga subtly pointed to her own chest, right above her heart.

                Ada self-consciously tugged on the silky scarf she had found to cover both her scar and Loki’s tattoo. “I… uh… sorry?” Ada said, unsure of how to respond.

                Frigga laughed more heartily now. “No need to apologize so much, dear Aðalrun! You are so different from Bragi sometimes that I question my perception of your magic,” she said, her laughter softly trailing off. “But more often, your similarities are unmistakeable.”

                Ada blushed, although she wasn’t sure why. Bragi seemed like an… _interesting_ fellow, but not necessarily one to be emulated. Yet, when Frigga compared them, it was obvious that she meant it as a compliment.

                They descended a long, gradually sloping staircase. Frigga seemed to gracefully float down the stairs, while Ada just sort of thumped down each one. She was far more interested in watching the queen’s actions than paying attention to her own, and when she tripped on the hem of her own skirt, she wasn’t really that shocked. She was, however, surprised by the strength of Frigga’s arm when she caught her.

                “Now dear, you survived a sword wound from one of Asgard’s strongest warriors, we can’t have you fall to your death on some stairs,” Frigga chuckled, releasing her. Her eyes danced golden for a moment, but quickly returned to their normal hazel.

                The change didn’t escape Ada’s notice, and Ada’s notice didn’t escape Frigga, who winked mischievously. “Very few in the universe are blessed with the Golden Sight,” she said. “I believe you have met several of us recently.”

                “Are you a Norn? That makes sense, with the whole being able to see the future thing…” Ada whispered in wonder. She suddenly flicked her eyes away. “Does that mean Heimdall is a Norn too? I know there are norns and _Norns_ , but the Norns I met under Yggdrasil had the golden eyes thing and Geðr didn’t-“

                “Goodness no, little one!” Frigga cut her off with a laugh as they reached the bottom of the staircase, where a pair of einherjar waited. “There are only the three Norns. Those with the Golden Sight may more easily commune with the workings of the realms, but we cannot even approach the power of the true Norns. And Loki was right- you _are_ full of questions.”

                The queen’s response only created _more_ questions for Ada to be full of, but Frigga was already turning to go by the time she had organized her thoughts. “Wait!” she called.

                Frigga turned to look back at her from several stairs up, wearing a grin very similar to Loki’s. “We may discuss things at length upon your return. Farewell for now, little one… and please forgive my son in advance for whatever trouble he gets into.” She turned away with a laugh and continued up the stairs.

                The einherjar loaded Ada and her parcel onto a flying boat to expedite her travel to the end of the Bifrost. Jane and Thor would apparently be arriving soon after, and Loki had requested his own transportation for some reason. His lack of explanation made Ada nervous.

                As she disembarked at the observatory, she caught sight of Heimdall’s great form. His back was turned to her, but she still winced slightly. Maybe it would be better to wait outside…

                “Enter, Midgardian,” his rich voice echoed through the building. “I have something to give you.”

                Ada took several ginger steps forward, but skipped back a few when Heimdall turned to face her. “Worry not, you shall not endure any further injury by my hand,” he said, trying to inject as much comfort into his strong voice as he could. It wasn’t working very well, but Ada appreciated the effort.

                She approached the platform upon which he was standing as he descended to her level. Even on equal ground, Heimdall towered over her, a great deal more so than Loki. She swallowed hard and resisted the urge to reverse.

                He slipped something out from under the gauntlet on his left arm, holding it between his fingers. “This is a sliver of the Bifrost, collected when Thor shattered it,” he said, looking into Ada’s eyes seriously.

                Ada scrunched up her face in anxiety. “I’m sorry, I don’t… see it?” she said weakly. “I can’t see magic…”

                “This is not magic, mortal.” Heimdall gradually turned his hand, and Ada saw something circular and iridescent catch the light. “Unlike Asgardians, you may not summon the Bifrost. However, I fear for the safety of your realm while Loki inhabits it. Take this, and use it to call me for aid when and if you need it. Tell no one of this.”

                He took her hand in his enormous one, and roughly pressed the sliver to the surface of her thumbnail. She jerked away in surprise, only to find that the shard had bonded itself to her. She shook her hand gently, just to make sure it wasn’t going to come off; her thumbnail only sparkled back. “Why do people keep sticking things on me?” Ada said, mostly to herself.

                The whirr of another flying boat caused her to look up and past Heimdall, to see Jane waving at her over its prow. She waved back thankfully before Heimdall stepped in front of her.

                “Simply bite it if you require my aid,” he rumbled.

                “Th-thanks…” Ada said, side-stepping him. “At least you gave me more of an explanation than Loki…”

                Jane bounded off the boat to greet her. “Ada, they’re letting me keep an electromagnet and Thor made them tell me how the boats worked!” she panted, hardly leaving and pauses between her words. “What a souvenir! I can’t wait to show everyone in the lab!”

                Ada laughed loudly. “Aren’t you violating the prime directive with that?”

                “We’ve spent _how long_ in an alien galaxy, and _now_ you break out the Star Trek references? Talk about bad timing!” Jane said, placing her hands on her hips. “And anyway, I meant to ask yesterday, but what’s with the ink?” Jane asked, lifting Ada’s scarf to get a better look at her tattoo. “A souvenir of your own?”

                Ada scrambled to tug it back down. “It’s, er, a phrase traditionally tattooed on injured warriors. It reads, _mighty are those that_ … um…” she mumbled, quickly trailing off.

                Jane’s lips formed a thin line. “Ada, you’re my best friend, but you’ve always been _terrible_ at lying,” she said, exasperation evident in her voice. “Besides, did you forget you taught me runes? I know exactly what is says.”

                Ada’s face turned crimson in embarrassment.

                Before she could say anything to defend herself, Jane went on. “And anyway, I know a relationship tattoo when I see one. I’ve always heard those are bad luck, if you believe in that sort of thing; I think I’m going to start, for your sake.” She made a face.

                “Thank you for your _endless_ support, Jane,” Ada sighed.

                She watched over Jane’s shoulder as Thor unloaded a small, but apparently heavy chest. He lugged it over to the girls and set it down as carefully as he could manage. “Aðalrun, here is your compensation for housing my brother, as promised,” he said, slightly short of breath. He kicked the trunk, which caused the lid to pop open.

                Ada sunk to her knees in front of it, her mind wiped clean by its contents. Inside were hundreds- no, thousands of glittering gold coins. She took one with a quivering hand, turning it over and over, unable to fully believe that it existed.

                “I trust this will be enough to fulfill your needs?” Thor asked, obviously concerned by her reaction; he was possibly even more concerned by Jane’s reaction, which was an expression of such disbelief that she almost looked horrified.

                “Is this real?” Ada whispered. “Real gold?”

                “What else would it be?” Thor said, cocking his head. “Does Midgard no longer deal in precious metals?”

                “ _My student loans_ ,” Ada choked out. “Oh my god, I can buy a car!”

                Jane laughed at that. “Well, I see where your priorities lie!”

                They were interrupted by the sound of yet another flying boat. The area of the Bifrost outside of Heimdall’s observatory was beginning to look like some sort of parking lot. Loki lept from the most recent arrival, leaving several einherjar to struggle with lifting three large trunks from the vessel. He strode proudly towards Thor and the girls, missing a step when he saw that Ada was on the ground and so close to tears.

                “What have you done now, Thor?!” he growled, rushing to help her up.

                “He just gave me _all this money_ ,” Ada said, still dumbstruck. Of all the “presents” she had gotten lately, this was probably her favorite.

                Loki looked down at the open chest and arched an eyebrow. “Hm, I understand your dismay.”

                “ _This isn’t dismay this is sheer happiness_ ,” Ada rasped in desperation, almost afraid that the gold would be taken away if Loki badmouthed it enough.

                “Alright, sweetling,” Loki said warily as the einherjar dragged his trunks into the observatory. Thor nodded to one of them, who sighed wearily and returned to carry the box of gold as well.

                Now it was Ada’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Loki, I think I’ve only ever seen you wear three outfits. _Please_ tell me that’s not all clothes- my closet barely fits my own stuff!”

                Loki rolled his eyes. “You think me so vain, my sweet? I’ll have you know that two of those trunks are books!”  
                “That’s still a lot of clothes,” Ada mumbled. The trunks were almost as big as she was.

                “Please say your farewells now, travelers,” Heimdall said flatly. Sometime between giving Ada the Bifrost fragment and everyone arriving, he had ascended his platform again, and held the hilt of his sword in both hands. The same sword that…

                Loki must’ve felt Ada’s anxiety, for his arm was quickly wrapped around her waist. Its presence slowed her racing heart and she took a deep breath.

                She turned to say goodbye to Thor, but found him engaged in a passionate kiss with Jane. She yelped and faced Heimdall again, who was wearing the slightest hint of a smile.

                “Two weeks, you hear me?” Ada eventually heard Jane say sternly. “I’ll see you in two weeks. No more of this casual-visit-to-earth-to-defeat-your-brother-and-hostile-alien-forces stuff.”

                “Of course, my love,” Thor said.

                Ada decided to give saying goodbye another shot. “Thor, thank you so much for… god, everything!” she laughed. “I don’t even know what to say!”

                “Then say nothing, Aðalrun Bragisdottir!” Thor laughed. “The only thing I ask in return is that you do not let my brother make any more mischief than you can handle!”

                Loki sighed heavily, but Ada grinned. “I’ll do my best! See you in two weeks, I guess!” She whipped around just as Thor pulled Jane in for another kiss.

                Ada and Loki wandered over to his stack of trunks. Ada’s bundled cotton dress was nestled between two of them, and looked rather humble in comparison.

                Still, Loki smiled when he saw it. “Will you continue your work as a _volva_ when we return to Midgard?” Ada couldn’t tell if the question was serious or not.

                “My “work as a _volva_ ” was limited to one night, I think,” she said, taking his arm. “I don’t think I could ever top what happened last time I dressed up like a sorceress.”

                “I choose to take that as a compliment,” Loki said smoothly, tilting her chin up to face him before gently kissing her lips. “You shall be dressed like a goddess upon your return. What will happen then?”

                “I can’t wait to find out,” Ada said with a touch of sarcasm. But despite her sour tone, she found she really did mean it; she was growing more and more excited at the prospect of having Loki with her on earth… even if he was going to _severely_ judge her living arrangements.

                “Okay, are we ready?” Jane asked, suddenly close behind them. They spun to face her and she grinned rather off-puttingly. “I think I have a date with the lab! And it’s gonna be _good_.”

                Loki looked up at Heimdall with narrowed eyes. Heimdall returned the look before giving a small nod, driving his sword into his platform. The room around them shifted and rolled, the front door sinking below the floor as the walls seemed to spin like cogs.

                Ada clung tighter to Loki as Jane craned her neck to look around at the spectacle, accidently ignoring Thor’s efforts at waving goodbye. “Loki…” she whispered. He looked down at her with his sparkling emerald eyes, and her words lost control of themselves. “I love you.”

                It wasn’t quite what she meant to say, but it was true.

Rushing wind and light engulfed them, and in a blink, they were gone.

 

 

 **Post Script** \- Well guys, there it is. The end of my very first work of fiction. I’m sitting here at my desk about to cry at like 1:30 in the morning because of all the joy I’ve gotten out of writing this and hearing your feedback. Seriously, I would’ve never been able to do this without you, my wonderful readers, who relentlessly liked and kudo’d and commented and favorited this crazy thing. Thank you all for encouraging me to go on through simply being there, even when I was having crap writing days. Despite teachers, professors, and friends telling me throughout my entire life that I should write because I’m good at it, I never really believed it until you all started commenting. So, again, thank you, for allowing this incredible new flower of creativity to grow within me! (Ugh, sorry for the cheesiness, but I’m just _so full of emotions_ )

It feels so quiet in my head, now that I have this part of the story all out there. Wait… this _part_? I’m not saying sequel, buuuut… _sequel_???

(Yes, I actually AM saying sequel! I’m having a helluva time coming up with a title for it, but I have a plot kicking around in my head already- I have for a while, really. I’ll try to post the first chapter here when I get around to writing it!)

Lastly, but not leastly, I just want to say again: **I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU!**


	33. Sequel 1

                “You…?!” Loki gasped as soon as the light of Heimdall’s portal dissipated, leaving their eyes to adjust to the darkness of the evening. “You what…?”

                He must’ve wanted to immediately respond to Ada’s sudden statement, but was unable to while traveling through the wormhole. Ada was glad; she wasn’t entirely sure how the words had escaped her lips in the first place. After two weeks of surreptitious evening visits in the palace of Asgard, learning things she never thought she would know about language and history, a dash of intimacy, and too much Ragnarok for her liking, she supposed the sentiment _was_ true.

                But there was no way she was going to say “I love you” a second time that day, even if the mixture of joy and relief in Loki’s eyes made the prospect tempting.

                She was saved from further awkwardness by Jane clutching her arm. She turned to face her, expecting her to be wearing the ecstatic expression of an astrophysicist who had just taken her second Einstein-Rosen Bridge ride, but instead found her casting her eyes around nervously. “Ada,” Jane said through her teeth, “I think we have company.”

                Sure enough, three extremely unsavory (and extremely drunk) men were closing in on them. Ada stared at them with blank confusion; this was the same wooded area near University College London that she had first met Loki and Thor- not exactly a hangout for drunken ne’er-do-wells.

                “What’s this, then?” one of the men slurred as he approached. “A bloody light show, you three, and all your…” he looked over Loki’s collection of sizeable trunks, his eyes coming to rest on the one that contained Ada’s “payment”, “ _luggage_? Don’t you know it ain’t safe in London after midnight?”

                One of the other two men lunged for Jane, who squealed and flinched. The man never laid a hand on her, however; in a swift motion, Loki swept in front of Jane and grabbed the man by the neck, leaving his feet kicking a good distance from the ground. The man that had spoken gawked at him in surprise.

                “I should kill this dull creature for even presuming to threaten me,” Loki said cooly, cocking his head lazily to look at the other men. “I am genuinely curious- can you supply me with a good reason not to?”

                “Threating _you_?!” Jane scoffed, “I’ve been lunged at and grabbed enough times to know when I’m being threatened, this guy _certainly_ -“

                “Jane, not the time,” Ada hissed, her mind racing trying to find a way to diffuse this situation. _Of course the first thing Loki would do on a diplomatic mission is kill a citizen…_ she thought grimly.

                “Y-you…” the apparent leader of the men stammered, “you’re the one off the telly, with them aliens flying about, blowing up New York!”

                The other man, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, simply turned and ran after hearing his friend’s observation. Loki gracefully flung his captive into the escapee, bowling them over and rendering them temporarily immobile.

Loki advanced on the only man left standing and adopted his most intimidating power stance. “If any of you breathe one word of my presence to anyone, I will hunt you down and cause you such pain that you will wish you had never been born into this pitiful realm.” His eyes burned green in the darkness. “After all, I am a god, am I not?”

                That was enough for the lone standing man. He lept over his struggling comrades and disappeared into the trees. Once the other two men got to their feet, they were right behind him, Loki’s laughter hot on their heels.

                “ _A god_?” Jane said incredulously. “Just because our ancestors were confused about your origin thousands of years ago doesn’t mean-“

                “Well _they_ didn’t deny it, did they?” Loki chuckled, nodding at the figures of the men fading into the trees.

                Jane narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to argue her point further when Ada cut her off. “Thank you for not killing that man, Loki,” she said somewhat weakly through her teeth. “You showed… _tremendous_ restraint. Right, Jane?”

                “ _Restraint_?! How hard is it to not-“ At the sight of Loki’s proud smile, Jane stopped short and groaned. “Good going, Loki, way to be a model citizen,” she grumbled. “Can we go now? I am _freezing_.”

                A shiver ran through Ada’s core at Jane’s words, goosebumps prickling her skin. She had been so preoccupied by the altercation that she hadn’t even registered how cold it was. “God, it _is_ cold… welcome back to fall in England, I guess,” she said, rubbing her hands on her arms as she watched the cloud generated by her breath dissipate. She plucked her bundle of Halloween costume off of one of Loki’s trunks. “Do you want to borrow my cape?”

                “While that question _shouldn’t_ sound weird after spending two weeks in Asgard, it still kind of does,” Jane chuckled. “Anyway, I think I’m alright, though I wouldn’t mind some company walking back to my apartment. Lord knows I don’t want to run into any more drunks tonight, and I wouldn’t doubt that somebody’s probably broken into my place and taken all of my scientific equipment and sold it on eBay- hey, did you notice it’s night time? It was day when we left Asgard, probably around 10 in the morning. I wonder what the time difference is between galaxies? Is that even an issue? Given the duration of our time in the Einstein-Rosen Bridge…”

                “Easy there, professor,” Ada interrupted. “You can write all your theories down in your notebooks, which I’m sure _haven’t_ been stolen, when you get home. Anyway-“

                She lost her train of thought after a thump and a growl of frustration sounded to her left. Turning to find the source of the noise, she found a rather exasperated-looking Loki resting his fist on one of the trunks. When he noticed her gaze, his expression morphed into one of indifference. He crossed his arms and cast his eyes toward the trees, avoiding hers. “It appears Odin’s binding of my magic applies even to simple levitation spells,” he half-mumbled, half-growled.

                Jane snorted as Ada’s face scrunched up with concern. “So, er… how are we going to get these trunks back to my place, then?” she asked with a sigh that she hoped didn’t sound patronizing. There was no way the three of them could ever hope to lug all this stuff all the way back to her flat, even if it was only a few blocks away.

                In response, Loki kicked the corner of the trunk he had previously punched. To Ada and Jane’s surprise, this triggered a high-pitched whirring sound and the glow of flames at each of the four corners of the trunk, which proceeded to lift off the ground several inches. “Do you think Asgardians are so ill-prepared that our luggage does not have its own transport mechanisms?” he asked with some surprise.

                “Well why didn’t you use those in the first place?” Ada said, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to do everything with magic.”

                Jane’s eyes had grown large and round as she watched the trunk hover evenly. As Loki kicked the second trunk and its tiny engines whizzed to life, she gripped Ada’s sleeve and whispered urgently, “ _I want one!_ ”

 

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                “So this is your abode?” Loki asked with a smirk, looking up at the five stories of windows that made up Ada’s flat building. “It doesn’t look nearly as modest as you would have me believe!”

                Ada looked up at the grey stone building with him and couldn’t help but laugh at his question. “I wish all this was my abode. I make do with a bathroom and a bedroom-living room-kitchen amalgamation that I really don’t think you’ll appreciate,” she said, the humor that was in her laugh noticeably absent from her voice. “Let’s get this over with.”

                It was a miracle that somehow her keys had made it to Asgard and back in the pocket of her woolen dress, and Ada thanked the stars that they had. It was no use thanking gods, she thought, when she was in the presence of one who would probably rejoice more in the loss of her keys than their recovery.

                Loki’s trunks were not difficult to lift up onto the narrow stairwell that led to her third floor apartment, but they were difficult to maneuver once they were there- they were, not surprisingly, too wide to fit normally. However, Loki turned them onto their corners with one finger, and more little engines began to whir on previously dormant corners, allowing the luggage to be very carefully transported to just outside Ada’s door.

                Ada fumbled with her keys and giggled nervously as Loki waited. “Look, Loki, I really think you might be better in a hotel, I mean, at least you would have a reliable shower and a bed that’s not older than the founding of the United States,” she babbled, pleading with him once more before she opened the door.

                Her nerves were slightly calmed by the feeling of his cool hand on her already cold shoulder. “My place is with you,” he said matter-of-factly. “Besides, though I often hesitate to say it, how bad can it be?”

                “You should’ve kept hesitating,” Ada grumbled as she turned her key in the lock and opened her door.

                Though the room was clean, there wasn’t much to it; a small, shabby couch butted up to the end of a small, slightly less shabby bed, with a window to the left. To the right was a door to the bathroom, in front of the couch was a tiny television on a rickety black table, and beyond that was what barely could be called a kitchen- a stove, a sink, and a small cabinet.

                And every inch of wall space was taken up by books upon books, stacked upon shelves of questionable integrity.

                “I should’ve kept hesitating,” Loki said quietly, in awe for all the wrong reasons.

                “London is an expensive place,” Ada said in her own defense, though she had anticipated his reaction. She stepped through the door and into a small hill of mail that had piled up in her absence. Wincing, she gingerly flipped the switch nearest to the door, her face lighting up at the same time as the lamp on the ceiling did. “Yay, they haven’t cut off my electricity yet!” she said, mostly to herself.

                “ _They_? Who are _they_ , and why would they turn off your electricity?” Loki demanded. “What kind of barbarous, primitive-“

                Ada gently held up a hand to silence him. “I can explain the nuances of capitalism sometime later,” she said. “For now… let’s see if we can fit your trunks in here without creating a violation of the fire code.”

                She saw Loki mouth the words “fire code” with a confused look on his face, before shaking his head and turning to retrieve his luggage. Ada swept up her mail into what could pass as a stack. _Sure is a lot of mail for just two weeks of being away…_ she thought, her stomach churning. _What day even…?_

“Do excuse me, sweetling,” Loki whispered seductively into her ear. Goosebumps raced up her back and she quickly stepped to the side, out of the way, watching quietly as Loki skillfully arranged his floating trunks. With a wave of his hand, they banged to the floor, causing Ada to jump and wince.

                “Oh god, my downstairs neighbors are gonna murder me…” she groaned, placing a hand to her head.

                “Let them come,” Loki said with a sarcastic grin. “I shall defend you to the last.” He snaked his hand up Ada’s back beneath her cape, and she quivered, finding herself suddenly feeling slightly bashful.

                She skipped away from his touch with a nervous laugh, glancing around the room. “So, er, about sleeping arrangements…” she stammered, avoiding his eyes. “You can have the bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa. I think that’s the first thing I’ll buy with my gold, a new, big bed…” she trailed off.

                Loki took a step towards her. “Why are you so coy now, my dear? Have we not shared the same bed _many_ times before?” he said, his voice implying a bit more than “sharing”.

                “Well, yeah, but…” Ada fumbled for words. “Your bed was so much bigger, and I don’t want you to be cramped and uncomfortable with me next to you, and…“ She was at a loss. Why _was_ she being so hesitant? There was just something that did not sit well with her on a basic level about sleeping next to Loki in such a… _modest_ piece of furniture.

                Loki, taking note of her confused discomfort, shrugged. “Suit yourself then, my dear,” he said, turning on his heal and walking the rest of the short distance to the bed. He patted it in an effort to look nonchalant, but was unable to conceal a sneer at the feel of it. Nonetheless, he sat down. “Have you extra blankets? It appears your couch is open to the elements, and I would hate for you to get cold.”

                “Have I…?” Ada’s eyebrows slowly raised in realization. “That’s it? You’re just taking my bed then?”

                Loki’s eyebrows raised in turn. “Well, you offered it to me, didn’t you?”

                “Well, yes!” Ada said indignantly, placing her hands on her hips. “I was just- kind of thinking-“

                “You were utilizing that infernal Midgardian practice of offering me something in expectation of me refusing it, correct?” Loki said smoothly. “I have seen Jane take advantage of my br- _Thor_ \- in this way several times, and he, being the honorable oaf he is, played along. But I assure you, sweetling, that I am not that easy to fool.” He grinned triumphantly, proud to have outsmarted Ada at her own game.

                Ada placed a hand to her forehead, and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smile. “No, you’re not, I suppose,” she chuckled, crossing to the bed and sitting next to him. “I think the issue here isn’t your quick thinking, but your consideration for others.”

                “Oh, but I have certainly considered _you_ ,” Loki purred.

                He performed some series of arm motions and Ada suddenly found herself on her back, staring up at a very smug god. “And now you’re in bed, aren’t you? And much more comfortable than you would’ve been had I not intervened.”

                “Oh yes, thank you,” Ada guffawed. “My knight in shining armor.”

                Loki’s expression immediately became clouded with confusion and a hint of annoyance, which Ada dispelled with a brief kiss. She patted him on the cheek in an exaggerated manner. “I’ll explain tomorrow,” she said softly, her eyes twinkling.

                Loki smirked and lowered his lips to hers.

 

 

**Author’s note:** Yeah, this first chapter came a lot later than I meant it to, and I’m not sure how soon the rest of the story will be posted… but I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging anymore! Doing a masters is taking up most of the time I used to use to write, and this chapter is all I have so far. The rest is floating around in my head, and I’m not sure when it’ll be able to come out. So this isn’t a goodbye, really, just a… very long pause. I’m sorry I couldn’t continue Loki and Ada’s story in a more timely manner, but hopefully I’ll be able to one day. And I’ll keep you updated! Thanks, as always, for reading! You guys mean the world to me.

%MCEPASTEBIN%


	34. Sequel 2

Author’s note: The letter ð (eth) is pronounced like the _th_ in the word _them_

 

               Ada woke with a start to banging on her front door. It took her a long moment to re-orient herself; this was not her room in Asgard, with its tall windows and almost shockingly comfortable bed (which the metal spring sticking into her bottom through her cheap mattress painfully confirmed), but her old London studio flat.

               “Adal-rin... Aydul… _Ms. Paulsen_ , open up! This is the police!” a deep cockney-accented voice called from the hallway. The order was followed by further pounding on the door.

               In her shock and disorientation at being awoken by the police, the absolute mangling of her first name only vaguely occurred to Ada. She leapt out from under the sheets, not appreciating how stiff her body was from sleeping on such a small bed with a bedmate, and promptly stumbled over her own feet. She was only saved from falling by clutching one of said bedmate’s overly tall pieces of luggage. “Coming!” she called, steadying herself.

               “Somehow, this is less pleasant by being woken by the maids,” Loki’s silkily calm voice remarked from behind her.

               As she clamoured around the other luggage items, Ada cast a glare over her shoulder, a look which quickly turned to befuddlement at the sight of him. Shirtless, he lounged on the thin pillows seductively, aesthetically sticking out like a sore thumb. The contrast between the setting and his otherworldly beauty was very close to comical.

               Ada was broken from her reverie by another round of hammering at her door. “Ms. Paulsen, we will be forced to break down the door if you don’t answer!”

               “ _I’m coming_ , give me a second!” she snapped, side-stepping around the final piece of Asgardian luggage. She disengaged the door’s stiff deadbolt and tugged the door open to find three uniformed police officers… and her landlady.

               “Er, hello officers…” Ada said weakly. “Can I help you?”

               “Your landlady here thought you was dead, on account of you skipping your last two months of rent,” one of the officers said. “She’s none too pleased.”

               “ _That’s an understatement_!” the portly landlady said in a shrill voice, barging through the three officers. “You’d better have a damn good explanation, as well as what you owe me, or I’m throwing you and your things out of my flat!”

               “I’m so sorry Mrs. Graham, it was an honest mistake!” Ada said breathlessly. _Two months?_ “I had a, um, family emergency and I had to leave suddenly… ah, would you mind telling me what day it is?”

               Mrs. Graham narrowed her eyes at Ada, who was doing her best to look pitiful. “It’s December 17th, and your rent is overdue by two months, fifteen days, seven hours and-“

               “I’m _so sorry_ Mrs. Graham, I promise I’ll do the bank transfer today!” Ada said, her mind racing. It was late October when she and Jane were taken to Asgard, and no matter how she looked at it, they had only been there for two weeks, not two _months_. She wondered what Jane would make of this time discrepancy.

               “That money had better be in my account by 5pm, or it’ll be the debt collectors pounding on your door tomorrow morning!” the landlady growled.

               “Y-yes ma’m!” Ada responded, her voice quivering. Mrs. Graham kept her eyes on her as she slowly closed the door.

               “Was that a _threat_?” Loki’s voice hissed from beside her. She jumped at his sudden close proximity, and turned to look at him. His expression was a mix of disdain and amusement.

               Ada covered her eyes with her hand. “Sure was. I guess I deserved it though. Two months?!”

               Loki shrugged nonchalantly, evidently not to concerned with any danger a debt collector might pose. “Time moves differently in each realm. I believe there is a formula for how to calculate the relative flow of time from realm to realm, but I have never found it particularly useful or interesting.”

               “Tell that to Jane,” Ada chuckled, beginning to weave back through the maze of Loki’s trunks. “Gosh, I bet she would kill to- oop!”

               Without warning, Loki swept Ada off her feet and into his arms, gracefully navigating around the remaining luggage. He seemed to be heading in the direction of the bathroom.

               “Hey, woah, what-“ Ada stuttered before fixing him with a glare. “Put me down! What are you _doing_?”

               Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Loki raised an eyebrow and lowered her to the ground. “As we were unable to be intimate last night, due to your…” Loki rubbed a spot on his lower back and winced dramatically, “… _Quite understandable_ reservations about the structural integrity of your bed, and since we have not truly been together since the conflict in Asgard, I had rather thought we might enjoy each other’s company in your shower-“

               “Let me stop you there,” Ada cut in, holding up a finger. “First of all, if you thought my bed was bad, you should see my shower! Secondly, I need to pay Mrs. Graham so we and your luggage aren’t out on the street tomorrow, and thirdly, don’t you have some research to be preparing for?”

               Loki gave her a sour look before casting his eyes to the corner of the room. “You _are_ right, of course,” he grumbled, his words touched with sarcasm. “I would hate to waste any of our precious time actually enjoying ourselves. How could I be so foolish?”

               Ada set her mouth into a thin line and rolled her eyes. “You weren’t sent here to… to…” her cheeks colored as she made vague motions with her hands, “… with me all day! The sooner you get started, the sooner you can go back, right?”

               Loki huffed and grudgingly walked back to Ada’s unmade bed, crossing his arms over his bare chest as he sat down on the rumpled sheets. Ada wondered if her words had been too harsh… it was uncomfortable having Loki in her apartment, and he had only been there for several hours so far (and most of those they had been asleep). Loki, who she had only ever seen in the splendid setting of Asgard, seemed sorely out of place in her studio flat, the site of many late nights of academic writing and analysis. No maids or beautiful wardrobes or balconies were to be found here, just unwashed coffee mugs and an unfinished thesis. Loki’s presence seemed to shine a light on the shortcomings of Ada’s life as a starving academic, and even with a trunk full of gold, she doubted she could ever create anything that compared to her room in the palace.

               She tried to push all of that to the back of her mind as Loki fixed her with his twinkling green eyes. “Perhaps we will do some work, and then we shall see where we find ourselves,” he said, uncrossing his arms. He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. “I suppose you may show me around this city… London, is it?”

               Ada chuckled under her breath at his haughty tone, which made it sound as though he had given her the honor of taking him sight-seeing. But it wouldn’t be that easy.

               “Did your fath-“ the word caught in Ada’s throat. She cleared it and continued. “Did the Allfather give any indication of how you’re supposed to walk the streets of London without causing a major military operation? You’re very… recognizable.” She winced slightly. “And not in a good way.”

               Loki, on the other hand, beamed with pride. “Oh, I am aware,” he practically purred. “I did come close to ruling this world, did I not?”

               Ada’s wince became a grimmace. “That’s exactly the problem,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “I don’t know much about espionage, but I’m fairly certain the American government has its eyes and ears ready to pick up on any sign of the world’s most wanted criminal.” When she put it like that, all the trepidation she felt about Loki those weeks ago in Asgard came flooding back, amplified significantly by her first-hand experience of his scheming nature. Even when not being manipulated by outside forces, as he had evidently been in New York, Loki had still managed to kill a number of people in Asgard and nearly bring about the end of the world in the name of claiming a throne.

               And now here he was in her apartment, having declared his devotion to her several times. This man­— no, this alien… god?—who had caused so much destruction simply perched on her shabby bed, apparently impervious to the fact that some of the most powerful governments on planet Earth were surely interested in apprehending him. Ada suddenly felt ill.

               She plopped down on one of Loki’s trunks and put her palm to her forehead. She felt him silently regarding her, assessing the situation before he elected his next words.

               “Loki, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” Ada finally sighed. “Asgard felt like a dream, but this is real life now, _my_ life.” She shook her head slightly, a lump forming in her throat. “How do I go about aiding an extra-terrestrial fact-finding mission, when it’s being carried out by a war criminal? How am I supposed to feel about my _feelings_ for a war criminal? How am I supposed... to keep you safe?”

               Ada bit her lip and closed her eyes to prevent any further emotional spillage. She heard Loki emanate a low rumble before standing and crossing the short distance to the trunk upon which she sat, easing himself down slowly into the empty space to her right. Through her moist eyelashes, she watched one of his hands come to rest lightly on her knee.

               “Aðalrun,” Loki began quietly. “Your life and my life… they are connected now, whether we meant them to be or not. We-”

               “I know, I saw it in Yggdrasil,” Ada cut him off with a slight huff. She wiped one of her eyes roughly, trying to better crystalize the distorted memory. Witnessing a physical manifestation of how she and Loki’s lives interacted was overwhelming, but imagining it somehow made her feel more confident in the context of her current situation. She sighed. “I just somehow never pictured us being _connected_ here in my awful little apartment, being concerned that we’ll both be arrested the minute we step out the door.”

               “Hm,” Loki chuckled quietly, patting her knee. “It is awful.”

               Ada couldn’t help but snort at his matter-of-fact tone.

               Grinning, he stood and continued. “But really, you needn’t be concerned for me! Did you honestly think I would risk being captured by Thor’s Midgardian comrades or anyone else? I have come prepared, pet!”

               Ada watched with curiosity as Loki, with his back to her, unlocked the tallest of his three trunks, opening it wide to reveal a surprising amount of clothes. Nestled amongst some hanging tunics was a small drawer which he pulled open with a soft click, extracting a dark object which Ada could not quite make out from her vantage point. Loki carefully brought the object up to his face and spun on his heel to face her.

               It was sunglasses. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

 

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               Loki grumbled as he followed a visibly nervous Ada down the road to the nearest Underground station. “Again, Aðalrun, this eyewear is enchanted,” he sighed. “The only reason you can still recognize me is because you are more attuned to magic now. To everyone else, I look just like any other lowly Midgardian.”

               “I know, I know,” she responded curtly, adjusting her purse. “I’m a bit more concerned that I’m carrying a bag full of gold onto public transport.”

               “You know you have no reason to fear for your safety with me by your side, pet,” Loki chuckled. “Particularly not from any Midgardian rogues. If that lot last night was anything to go by, the average thief in your world is quite stupid indeed.”

               “Still,” Ada puffed, trying to discretely scan the crowd around them as they entered the station, “I don’t know why you’re so interested in modern banking. Sure, there’s a lot involved with it technologically, but wouldn’t dissecting a computer or something be a better first step in your research?”

               Loki ignored her as he watched Londoners and tourists pass through the electronic gates into the station proper, tapping their wallets or their phones on the scanners to open the barriers. Ada watched him watching them, curious to see what he would make of his first foray into Midgardian public transport. The outfit he had selected from his wardrobe hardly looked like that of the average London commuter—a long leather jacket bordered with golden clips hung open over a high-collared green shirt, styled to look as though it was braided together with strips of cloth. He finished off his look with a pair of black leather trousers and the same overly ostentatious gold and black boots he wore with his dress armor.

               All in all, it could’ve been much worse; Ada demanded he not wear a breastplate out in public, as even with his enchanted sunglasses, that would’ve just been a bit much. As it stood, Loki simply looked like he had stumbled out of some version of _The Matrix_ that happened to be set in the time of the Vikings. Not ideal, considering the people of London were bundled up against the English winter weather, but better than a suit of armor.

               Speaking of which, Ada was beginning to get overheated standing in the warm station in her puffy winter coat. She tugged Loki by the sleeve, leading him to a row of machines standing on the far wall. “C’mon, we need to get you an Oyster card first. Can’t have you getting arrested for dodging-“

               “Aðalrun?!” a female voice called through the crowd of commuters. Ada tensed up and pushed Loki in the direction of the machines, hoping the redheaded girl elbowing her way towards them wouldn’t notice his presence.

               “K-Katya, hi!” Ada stuttered, waving at the girl meekly. “How are you doing? I didn’t know you were in town, isn’t it winter break?”

               Katya cocked her head, her shoulder-length flame red hair bouncing in response. She pushed a thick pair of glasses up the freckled bridge of her nose. “Ada, your Russian is so good now! Have you been taking lessons?”

               Ada felt the color drain from her face. _The Alltongue_ , she thought with dismay. _How am I supposed to explain this? If only I could…_

               Her eyes lit up as she hit upon what she hoped would be a solution. “Um, yeah!” she forced a chuckle. “But I’m still practicing… could we speak in English?”

               Katya cocked her head in the other direction, raising an eyebrow this time. “Uh… I guess?” Katya said slowly.

               Ada hoped that short phrase would be enough to help her convince her mind that Katya’s first language was English, as Loki had done with her in Asgard with the Proto-Norse elicitations. She took a deep breath. “How is your research going? You’ve got to be close to finishing your last chapter now!”

               “Ah-ha, actually, I was hoping I could use a quote from your thesis in my summary,” Katya said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “I wanted to tie my element on loanwords back to Proto-Norse, but I don’t think you’ve published the particular section I’m interested in. Would you mind if I stopped by sometime to have a read of it?”

               Ada’s heart swelled at the prospect of getting a citation, and she felt her stomach uncoil with relief that the Alltongue trick seemed to have worked. She gave Katya a wide grin. “Of course! What time would work for you? I’m just-“

               She then caught sight of Loki out of the corner of her eye- he was still loitering by the Oyster machines- and her insides descended back into turmoil. She couldn’t exactly have Katya over when her apartment was full of godly luggage and the god that went with it.

               “Er, actually, how about I just send you the .pdf? It’s kind of big, but it would be faster than you coming to see it in person!” Ada spouted nervously, hugging the puffy sleeves of her coat for comfort. “Ha ha, anyway, it was nice to see you but I have to buy an Oyster card and catch a train and run some errands, see you again soon bye!”

               Ada spun on her heel and marched with purpose into the crush of commuters, avoiding looking back over her shoulder at Katya. Arriving at the machine by which Loki stood, she made an extremely quick transaction, retrieved the card, and all but dragged Loki through the turnstiles and down the tunnel towards the trains.

               “What was that?” Loki asked, unable (or unwilling) to hide the amusement in his voice. “A friend of yours, perhaps?”

               “Fellow PhD candidate,” Ada all but wheezed. She unzipped her coat to cool down, literally and figuratively. She leaned against the tunnel wall and continued, “She wanted to stop by to look at some of my work, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate my houseguest.”

               “Ha!” Loki laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the tunnel. “Keeping our romance a secret, are we? Just like old times!”

               Ada rolled her eyes and grinned in spite of herself. She hooked her arm through his and led him toward the escalator. “And now, just like old times, we’re going to focus on research. Do they have moving stairs in Asgard?”

               Loki looked down the steep escalator, hesitating. A Londoner in a hurry shoved past him. “Actually,” he said, his brow knitting behind his sunglasses, “I don’t believe we do.”

               Ada steered him out of the way of another commuter, laughing so loudly that it caused people to glare at her. “Well, prepare for the ride of your life!”

               A security camera focused on them as they descended the escalator.

 

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PS: Well hello there, everyone! Long time no see! I said I’d be back with more Loki and Ada, didn’t I? Well, two masters degrees later, here we are! I’m posting this chapter here as a message to you all that I’M BACK, but hereafter chapters will be posted to the sequel’s individual story… _Silver Tongue, Golden Tongue: The Bill Comes Due._ (Title not in reference to Ada’s altercation with the landlady, that’s just a happy[?] accident). Enjoy, and please comment! I love hearing what you think!


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